Public toilets ‘scam’: Allahabad HC sets aside Barabanki CJM’s order for probe against CDO, SP
Lucknow High Court sets aside CJM's order for probe against CDO & SP in alleged public toilet scam. IAS Megha Rupam & IPS Arvind Chaturvedi get relief.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has set aside the order of the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) of Barabanki district by which a probe was ordered against the then chief development officer (CDO) and the superintendent of police (SP) of that district in connection with an alleged scam in construction of public toilets.
The court observed that the order passed by the CJM suffered from illegalities and it was unsustainable in law. (For Representation)
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The state government had challenged the CJM’s February 17, 2021 order in the high court. IAS Megha Rupam and IPS Arvind Chaturvedi got relief from the high court in the alleged scam related with construction of public toilets in Barabanki. Rupam was then CDO of Barabanki while Chaturvedi was the SP.
On an FIR registered by the village pradhan, the CJM, Barabanki, had ordered a probe against both the officers. Additional advocate general (AAG) Vinod Kumar Shahi represented the state government in court. “The CJM had ordered the probe against the then CDO and the SP of Barabanki in violation of constitutional provisions law. The high court has set aside the CJM’s order,” said Vinod Kumar Shahi.
A single bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi passed the order on March 7 that was uploaded on the court’s website on Monday. The court observed that the order passed by the CJM suffered from illegalities and it was unsustainable in law.
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“The continuance of prosecution on the basis of such an order would clearly be an abuse of the process of law warranting interference by this court in exercise of its revisional powers,” observed the court.
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“The continuance of prosecution on the basis of such an order would clearly be an abuse of the process of law warranting interference by this court in exercise of its revisional powers,” observed the court.
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“The CJM Barabanki’s February 17, 2021 order is set aside,” the court added. During the hearing of the case, village panchayat secretary Beena had produced the digital diary of each toilet along with its beneficiaries proving that all the toilets had been completed.
Pawan Dixit, Assistant Editor, brings over 20 years of frontline reporting experience to the newsroom. A specialist on Uttar Pradesh politics and governance, he has reported from the ground across the state’s most consequential stories. He cut his teeth in eastern UP, spending 15 years covering the region. Based in Varanasi, he reported the 2012 UP Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that reshaped the state’s political map. Moving to Lucknow in 2016, he has since led coverage of the 2017 and 2022 UP Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. His reporting tracks the BJP’s strategy, opposition moves, and voter sentiment across all 75 districts. Pawan has been a constant presence in Ayodhya since 2016. He reported the entire arc of the Ram Mandir movement — from the legal fight to the Supreme Court verdict, through temple construction, to the inauguration. He continues to track every development at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On the state beat, he covers the BJP, the Industrial Development Department, and handles key outstation political assignments. He also reports major cases from the district court, Lucknow bench of the High Court, and the State Information Commission. Along with this, he also reports on NGT's important decisions related to UP. Known for sharp sourcing and clear analysis, Pawan connects politics, policy, infrastructure and faith — the forces driving UP today. He has reported developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir movement since 2016. The Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict, temple construction and the its opening have been reported by him.
He reports all developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir Trust.
He covers state BJP, Industrial development department, outstation political assignments, reports special cases from district court, high court and state information commission
