By IANS,
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Monday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to stop its probe into the irregular recruitment of around 19,000 policemen by the Uttar Pradesh government when Mulayam Singh Yadav was in power in 2004-06.
A bench of Justice C.K. Thakkar and Justice D.K. Jain allowed the CBI to stop the probe on its plea that it does not have enough manpower and infrastructure to carry on the probe.
The CBI moved the apex court while challenging an Allahabad High Court order, entrusting it with the task to probe the alleged irregular recruitment of policemen by the Mulayam Singh government.
After assuming power in 2007, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati had scrapped the appointment of 17,400 policemen on the grounds of alleged irregularities and nepotism by her predecessor. Her move followed the report of an enquiry committee which said that many of the recruits were actually Samajwadi Party workers and activists.
The Allahabad High Court ordered the CBI probe on a plea by some of the dismissed policemen.
Acting on the CBI’s plea, the apex court bench suspended the high court order and issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government to have its views on the CBI’s plea.
“How can you compel the CBI to investigate a case if it is unwilling to do so? Please tell us under what act or law can the CBI be forced to take up an investigation of a case,” the bench observed, while hearing the CBI plea.
Appearing for the CBI, Solicitor General G.E. Vahanvati told the court that the agency was facing acute shortage of manpower and was not prepared to investigate 48 complaints filed in connection with the recruitment scam.
He said the CBI wasn’t a party in the case before the high court and that the judgment was delivered during vacations on June 5.
Vahanvati also pointed out to CBI’s letter to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) in which the agency had categorically refused to take up the probe.
He said the DoPT had communicated the letter to Uttar Pradesh government.
The CBI move comes in the wake of Mulayam Singh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party extending crucial support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government during the parliament trust vote in July.