No relief for UP in police recruitment scam

New Delhi: In a major setback to the Mayawati government, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to stay the Allahabad High Court order directing the Uttar Pradesh government to reinstate over 18,000 police constables sacked by the state government over an alleged police recruitment scandal.

A Vacation Bench comprising Justices Markandey Katju and Deepak Verma, however, directed the Uttar Pradesh government to start making provisional appointment of the selected candidates subject to the outcome of the petition filed by state government in the Supreme Court.

Justice Verma strongly reprimanded the state government for not implementing the High Court orders for five months and told the state government counsel to ''either implement the High Court order or face contempt".

The apex court has fixed July 8 as the next date of hearing.

The Allahabad High Court has fixed May 27 as the deadline for reinstating 18,500 constables appointed under the Mulayam Singh Yadav's regime and who were sacked by the Mayawati government on the grounds that large scale bungling had taken place in the recruitment and majority of the constables recruited belonged to one particular caste.

It was also alleged that a large number of the constables even did not fulfill the eligibility criteria namely, educational qualification and physical fitness.

The Mulayam Singh government had recruited over 22,500 constables of which about 18,500 constables were sacked by the next government.

The High Court had set aside the government order cancelling the appointments of large number of police constables on the grounds that senior IPS officers who had conducted enquiry were themselves involved in the alleged recruitment scandal.

Senior Counsel, who appeared for Uttar Pradesh government, had also contended that papers for large number of candidates were written by the examiners and not by the candidates.

The High Court had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to take back all candidates who were properly selected latest by May 27 or face contempt.

"Mayawati should now step down. We will meet the Governor and ask dismissal for the dismissal of the Mayawati government," said Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav after the Supreme Court judgement.