JUDGMENT :

AKIL KURESHI, J.

1. Petitioner has challenged a memorandum dated 12.06.2020 issued by the Secretary, Government of Tripura by which a departmental inquiry has been instituted against her. The charge leveled in the said memorandum is that the petitioner while serving as Upper Division Clerk in the Education department got the benefit of promotion to the post of Head Clerk as a Scheduled Tribe candidate being a member of Laskar community illegally by way of concealment of her actual caste status. It was alleged that the caste certificate dated 29.03.1976 issued in her favour was subsequently cancelled by the State Level Scrutiny Committee (SLSC, for short) by an order dated 07.11.2005 on the ground that she belongs to Laskar community.

2. Brief facts are as under:

The petitioner was appointed as a Lower Division Clerk in the Education department, Government of Tripura on 06.11.1981. She was promoted to the post of Upper Division Clerk by order dated 07.10.1987. She was then promoted to the post of Head Clerk by order dated 20.01.1994. In the year 2000 the department asked the petitioner to supply her caste certificate for verification. On 17.12.2004 SLSC issued a show-cause no