A bench of justices R K Agrawal and R S Maurya asked the state counsel to "seek the government's instruction" on the allegation made in a PIL filed by an advocate Ajay Kumar Mishra.
The court fixed November 26 as the next date of hearing.
The petitioner has alleged that the state's Jail Minister has been wielding his influence to ensure that only those belonging to "a particular caste" were made Jail Superintendents or Jailors in prisons of the state, especially in western UP.
The petitioner, however, did not mention Jail Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya by name.
Singh, an MLA from Kunda in Pratapgarh district, is been named in a number of criminal cases, and had contested the election as an Independent candidate.
However, his proximity to the Samajwadi Party won him a Cabinet berth despite the ruling party enjoying a comfortable majority in the state assembly.
The petitioner has also alleged that many of the officers, appointed on the recommendation of the Minister, did not have the qualifications required for holding key posts.
