HC bars CBI from quizzing UPPSC chief

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad high court on Tuesday barred the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from interrogating the chairman or any member of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) till the next date of hearing in a matter related to probe into the selections carried out between 2012 and 2017.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar, which was hearing a writ petition filed by UPPSC chairman Anirudh Yadav and members, also directed the CBI as well as the state government to file their respective replies in response to the petition.

The bench has fixed January 18 as the next date of hearing.Acting on UP government recommendation, the Central government had passed an order directing CBI inquiry into the selections done by the commission between April 2012 and March 2017.

Anil worked as UPPSC chairman from 2012 onwards

However, it has been alleged in the petition that as UPPSC is a constitutional body, the Central government notification directing CBI inquiry into its affairs is 'illegal and without any jurisdiction". Further, no inquiry can be directed against UPPSC under the existing laws and only Supreme Court could scrutinise its affairs.

To recall, Anil Yadav worked as UPPSC chairman from 2012 onwards during SP rule from 2012 to 2017. His tenure was marred by allegations of irregularities in selection process, leakage of question papers, violent agitation of candidates against the commission policies, etc. It was also alleged that candidates belonging to a particular caste were given undue preference during his tenure.

Anil Yadav's appointment was declared as 'illegal' by the high court on October 14, 2015, and he had to step down from the chairmanship.

He also failed to get any relief from the Supreme Court. Subsequently, the SP government appointed Anirudh Yadav as chairman of UPPSC in April 2016.

When the BJP government came to power in the state in 2017, chief minister Aditya Nath Yogi declared that a CBI inquiry would be conducted into all the selections made by UPPSC from 2012 to 2017. Consequently, the state government recommended the Central government to issue a notification for conducting CBI probe into the matter.

Anirudh Yadav, who was summoned by the chief minister on January 3 to explain as to why did he move the high court, had claimed that he was also asked by a top state government official to resign from the post.