The Allahabad High Court today asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file its reply on a PIL challenging the appointment of retired IAS officer Shambhu Singh Yadav as the Deputy Lokayukta of the state.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice D B Bhosale and Justice Yashwant Varma passed the order on the PIL of Anoop Barnwal, an advocate of the high court, who had alleged that Yadav's appointment was "illegal" since he did not meet the eligibility criteria as laid down in the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta and UP-Lokayukta Act.
The petitioner has also claimed that Yadav, who had started his career as a PCS officer, got promoted to the IAS and owing to his proximity to the ruling Samajwadi Party in the state served as a Secretary to the Chief Minister and received a number of extensions after his retirement and prior to his appointment as the UP-Lokayukta.
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The petitioner has further alleged that the selection process for the post was held in a non-transparent manner wherein many eligible candidates were ignored while Yadav was chosen apparently because of his "political connections".
The court asked the state government to file its counter affidavit and fixed September 8 as the next date of hearing in the matter.
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