HC seeks govt reply on PSC chief’s appointment

ALLAHABAD: Hearing a PIL challenging the appointment of Dr Anil Kumar Yadav as chairman of UP Public Service Commission (UPPSC), the Allahabad High Court on Monday directed the state government to explain as to what was special with Dr Anil Kumar Yadav, who was chosen for appointment as chairman of Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC), excluding 82 persons, whose bio-data for the same post was ignored.
While fixing August 13 as the next date of hearing, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Dr Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud and Justice Yashwant Varma directed Dr Yadav, state government and UPPSC authorities to file their respective replies (counter-affidavit) clarifying the position with regard to FIRs registered against the chairman. Hearing the PIL filed by Satish Kumar Singh, an advocate, the court directed to put up the entire original record regarding the appointment of the chairman of UPPSC in a sealed cover. The court asked the registrar general of this court to keep it in the safe custody.
The court was of the view that there is nothing shown in the record that what where special circumstances that Dr Yadav was chosen as chairman of UPPSC by excluding 82 persons without verifying the record that he had criminal antecedents. Further, the court was surprised to see the record that the then chief secretary of UP Javed Usmani on March 29, 2013 picked up his name out of 83 bio-datas and by the next date on March 30, he had informed the chief minister about his name.
Thereafter, by the next date on March 31, 2015, a letter was sent to district magistrate of Mainpuri, for verification of his character. The DM on the same day issued a character certificate in his favour.
Earlier, on May 21, the court while hearing this PIL, had directed the state government to file reply (counter- affidavit) stating as to how many names were considered before appointing Dr Yadav as chairman of UPPSC. The court had also directed the state counsel to produce the original records in relation to the appointment of Dr Yadav for perusal before the court.
The plea of the petitioner’s counsel was that chairman Dr Yadav is a man of doubtful integrity and the way he was appointed by the state government was highly uncalled for.
The petitioner said that initially Dr Yadav was appointed as lecturer in an aided institution and thereafter he was appointed as principal. Thereafter, he was appointed as member of UPPSC in December 2006 when Samajwadi Party was in power.
He continued as member of the Commission till December 2012. Thereafter he was appointed as chairman of UPPSC on April 2013 after the expiry of four months as member of UPPSC.