By IANS,
Lucknow : Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Monday sought the ouster of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in the wake of the apex court’s order to reinstate 18,000 policemen who were summarily dismissed by her government two years ago. There was also much jubilation and relief among the sacked policemen and their families.
The police recruitments were made during the earlier regime headed by Mulayam Singh. Mayawati claimed to have unearthed largescale bungling in the recruitment process after she assumed power in May 2007, following which a bulk of the recruits lost their jobs.
“The Supreme Court’s order has further reinforced my contention that the recruitments were absolutely in order and that the Mayawati government’s decision to terminate the services of 18,000 policemen was done out of prejudice and malice,” Mulayam Singh told mediapersons after a meeting of his party legislators and MPs at the SP headquarters here.
“Considering that all her allegations about irregularities in the recruitment process have fallen flat before the highest court of the land, Mayawati must herself step down from office,” Mulayam Singh said. “In case she fails to do so, then the Samajwadi Party will make a formal appeal to the president and the governor to dismiss her government,” he added.
The state government failed to prove its point after a legal battle. It kept sitting over an order of the Allahabad High Court directing the state government to take back all the dismissed policemen. Some of the victims moved a contempt of court petition following which the Allahabad High Court fixed May 27 as the deadline for implementation of its order.
State Director General of Police Vikram Singh challenged the order before the apex court, which however proved counter productive. The Supreme Court refused to stay the contempt proceedings pending in the Allahabad High Court for the state government’s failure to reinstate the sacked constables.
Meanwhile, victims and their families were very relieved. “I have been waiting for this day for two years as I had arranged the marriage of my daughter with one such recruit who lost his job. At long last I can get her married to the man,” remarked a police man posted close to the chief minister’s residence.
Interestingly, while Mayawati on the one hand sacked the young recruits, on the other she reinstated all officers belonging to the elite Indian Police Service (IPS) who had been suspended for committing alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.
The chief minister was also to make fresh recruitments in order to fill up the vacancies due to the dismissals.