JUDGMENT

Dr. AR. Lakshmanan, J.-The Principal Secretary to Government, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department, A.P. Secretariat, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and The Director of Town and Country Planning, Hyderabad are the appellants in this appeal. This appeal is directed against the judgment of the Division Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Writ Petition No. 14358 of 2001 confirming the judgment and order dated 22.2.2001 of the Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunal at Hyderabad allowing the Original Application No. 6755 of 2000 filed by the respondent herein and setting aside the order issued by the appellant in G.O.Ms. No. 520 Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department dated 28.10.2000.

2. The background facts leading to the filing of this appeal be noted briefly and they are as follows:

The respondent herein at the relevant time was working as Deputy Director, Town and Country Planning in the Municipal Administration Department at Hyderabad. The Anti-Corruption Department Bureau registered a case on 30.9.1992 under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 with regard to the disproportionate assets po