UP Govt. knocks at SC door against Police recruitment

The Mayawati government approached the Supreme Court against the order of Allahabad High Court to reinstate 18,000 police constables in Uttar Pradesh by May 27 or face contempt of court proceedings.

A vacation bench comprising Justices Markandey Katju and Deepak Verma fixed May 25 for the hearing of UP government’s application seeking stay against the operation of the High Court order.

The Mayawati government had sacked over 18,000 police constables recruited by the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav regime.

The Samajwadi Party government had recruited 22,500 police constables in 2004. After Ms Mayawati came to power she held it to be a recruitment scandal.

The Allahabad High Court had quashed the Mayawati government order sacking the police constables on the ground that the senior IPS officer who was involved in the scandal had been appointed as inquiry officer.

The UP government in its application submitted that the state government had already challenged the High Court judgment before the court and notices had been issued to the respondents.

While seeking interim stay against the High Court order, the state government has contended that if interim relief was not granted, the petition would become infructuous.