Around one-fifth of the jobs to fill various positions in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly and Legislative Council were given to relatives of officials, an investigation by The Indian Express has revealed. At least two rounds of tests conducted in 2020-2021.
Who are the successful candidates?
Of the 2.5 lakh-odd candidates who applied for these jobs, those selected include the then UP Speaker’s PRO and his brother; a minister’s nephew; son of the Legislative Council secretariat in-charge; four relatives of the Legislative Assembly secretariat in-charge; son and daughter of the Department of Parliamentary Affairs in-charge; son of a Deputy Lokayukta; and the son of a former Officer on Special Duty to two Chief Ministers.
Also, five recruited candidates are related to owners of the two private firms, TSR Data Processing and Rabhav, which conducted this test amid the first Covid wave.
According to IE, these candidates were appointed three years ago to the two secretariats that administer the UP legislature.
What do courts say?
A two-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court ordered a CBI probe on September 18, 2023, calling the process “shocking” and “not less than a recruitment scam”. It was hearing a plea filed by three unsuccessful candidates, Sushil Kumar, Ajay Tripathi and Amrish Kumar.
The IE reported that these appointments pertain to posts of at least 15 Review Officers (ROs); 27 Assistant ROs and junior positions. RO is equivalent to a gazetted post with a salary band of Rs 47,600-Rs 1,51,100 and ARO has a pay matrix of Rs 44,900-Rs 1,42,400.
However, on an appeal by the Legislative Council, the Supreme Court stayed the CBI probe. The next hearing is scheduled for January 6, 2025.
Court records also revealed the owners of both the private firms were jailed on charges of alleged manipulation in another recruitment and are on bail. The matter is still pending.
Here are some of the successful candidates:
PRO to H N Dikshit, (UP Assembly Speaker when the recruitment was conducted).
Post: Special Executive Officer (Publication), Legislative Council: “He was with me and was later appointed to the Council (secretariat). I had no role in this,” Dikshit said. The PRO’s brother also got selected as Review Officer (RO) in the Assembly. “I don’t know this person,” Dikshit told IE.
Son of Ajay Kumar Singh, ex-OSD to Chief Ministers Akhilesh Yadav and Yogi Adityanath. Singh is now retired.
Post: Review Officer (RO), Assembly. Singh did not respond to requests for comments.
Nephew of Jainendra Singh Yadav aka Neetu, a close associate of ex-CM Akhilesh Yadav.
Post: RO, Assembly: Jainendra did not respond to requests for comment.
Nephew of Mahendra Singh, former Minister
Post: Assistant Review Officer (ARO), Legislative Council: Singh could not be reached for comment. A member of his family told IE, “He had nothing to do with the selection process.”
Wife of Ram Parvesh Yadav, owner of Rabhav. Yadav’s father is the brother of Shambhu Singh Yadav, former IAS officer who retired as Deputy Lokayukta.
Post: RO, Council: “I don’t know anything about this,” Shambhu Singh Yadav told IE.
‘Qualifying marks manipulated’
A purported list of those selected for the Assembly secretariat was submitted in High Court by another petitioner, Vipin Kumar Singh, an unsuccessful candidate, also submitted a petition to the Allahabad High Court. Citing OMR answer sheets and typing sheets he obtained through unspecified means, Singh said that the qualifying marks were manipulated.
“The results were never declared in the open for the public at large. Neither was the date of the results disclosed, nor the list of candidates finally selected,” said Singh as quoted by IE.
The Assembly secretariat told the High Court that “the final result was uploaded on the official website of the respondents namely uplegiassemblyrecruitment.in… Final list for the post of Assistant Review Officer was pasted on the notice board of the office of Legislative Assembly Secretariat”.
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