UP: HC orders CBI probe into asst teachers’ recruitment

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Thursday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the alleged anomalies in recruitment of 68,500 assistant teachers in primary schools of Uttar Pradesh.

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Thursday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the alleged anomalies in recruitment of 68,500 assistant teachers in primary schools of the state.

The recruitment exam was conducted on May 27, 2018 at 248 centres spread across 18 divisions of Uttar Pradesh. The result was declared on August 13.

The high court directed the CBI director to complete the probe within six months and also submit the progress report on November 26, the next date of hearing of the case.

“It is further directed that necessary action, in accordance with the law, be taken by the competent authority against officers who are found involved in corrupt practices,” said Justice Irshad Ali while pronouncing the order on a bunch of writ petitions filed by Sonika Devi, a scheduled caste (SC) candidate, and others.

Devi had filed the petition after it came to light that her answer sheet had been changed during the process of evaluation. The court had reserved its order on October 8.

The court said: “...This court is satisfied that there is a sufficient material to exercise its constitutional power of judicial review and direct the CBI to take up the investigation within the jurisdiction of the state.”

In reply to a query of the court, the state government representative said the government was not ready to hand over the investigation of the assistant teachers’ recruitment examination-2018 to the CBI.

But the court said that under compelling circumstances the investigation of the case was being handed over to the CBI.

The court further directed that the officers who were the part of the selection proceedings shall cooperate in the investigation and place the necessary documents required by the CBI.

During the recruitment process, a list featuring names of 23 candidates had surfaced out of which 21 had failed in the exam but were declared qualified in the result. Similarly, two candidates who had not even appeared in the exam were declared qualified. After the matter came to light, the department withheld the result of all such unqualified teachers.

The state government had also suspended Sutta Singh, secretary, exam regulatory authority, Allahabad and constituted a three-member committee to look into the lapses.

It had also relieved secretary, Basic Shiksha Parishad, Sanjay Sinha, from the post. Later, the state government handed over the probe to UP Special Task Force (STF). A group of selected candidates had also staged protests to draw the attention of authorities towards their plight.

MANOJ KUMAR SINGH