A state appeals panel on Tuesday questioned whether it was necessary to fire a Cook County sheriff’s deputy who used excessive force on a jail inmate.The 1st District Appellate Court remanded plaintiff Steven Cruz’s case back to the Sheriff’s Merit Board to see whether it had cause to fire Cruz after he pushed an inmate twice and then used pepper spray while another officer restrained the inmate in January 2012.In doing so, the 1st District closed the door on future cases challenging merit board decisions …