HC nixes UPPSC plea against CBI probe

ALLAHABAD: A division bench of the Allahabad high court comprising Chief Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar on Wednesday dismissed a writ petition filed by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) challenging a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the selections done between April 2012 and March 2017.
On February 7, the high court had reserved its judgment on the commission's petition filed through its chairman Anirudh Yadav and members after hearing counsels for the petitioner and the state and Central governments at length.

Acting on a UP government recommendation dated July 31, 2017, the Central government had issued a notification on November 21, 2017, directing a CBI inquiry into the selections done by the commission in the said period when the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government was in power in the state.

However, the commission challenged the notification of the Central government before the high court through this writ petition contending that UPPSC is a constitutional body, hence 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.