THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE L.NARASIMHA REDDY WRIT PETITION No.3633 of 2002 ORDER: The petitioner was working as Constable in C.R.P.F. in the year 1995 and was working in Jammu. He was sanctioned leave for two months from 11.09.1995 to 09.11.1995. When he got down by A.P. Express Train at Secunderabad, the officials of the State Excise Department and the Railway Police checked the bag of the petitioner and found 5 bottles of liquor. A case under the relevant provisions of the A.P. Excise Act was registered. The petitioner was arrested and sent to judicial custody by the Railway Court on 23.02.1996 vide C.C.No.57 of 1996. The petitioner was tried in C.C.No.107 of 1997 on the file of the Special JFCM for Excise Cases, Hyderabad. Simultaneously, the respondents initiated disciplinary proceedings by issuing a charge sheet, dated 11.09.1996. Through an order, dated 07.05.1997, the Commandant, respondent No.2 herein, imposed the punishment of reduction of pay by one stage. The order is silent as to the manner in which the period of suspension must be treated. This writ petition is filed seeking directions to the respondents to treat the period of suspension as on duty. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned counsel for the respondents. The petitioner did not choose to challenge the order of punishment. It is only when the disciplinary proceedings initiated against an employee are dropped or when they are set aside in an appeal or by a Court of law, that the occasion to count the period of suspension as on duty would arise. As long as the order of punishment is in force, the question of treating the period of suspension as on duty does not arise. The mere fact that the petitioner was acquitted in a criminal case does not make any difference in this limited context. The writ petition is accordingly dismissed. There shall be no order as to costs. _______________________ L.NARASIMHA REDDY,J Dt: 22.12.2010. kdl