Garhwal Post Bureau
Nainital, 30 Jun: The Uttarakhand High Court today heard several public interest litigations (PILs) concerning alleged irregular and illegal appointments made in the Assembly Secretariat. Following the hearing, the division bench comprising Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Verma posted the matter for further proceedings on 21 July.
The counsel representing petitioners Abhinav Thapar and Baijnath submitted before the Court that multiple hearings have already taken place in the matter and that the State Government has initiated recovery proceedings against individuals who were removed from service. Urging the Court for an expedited hearing, the petitioners’ counsel pressed for timely adjudication, after which the Court listed the case for further hearing later in July.
The matter pertains to a PIL filed by Congress leader Abhinav Thapar, who has raised serious concerns regarding alleged backdoor appointments, corruption, and procedural violations within the Assembly Secretariat. According to the petition, an inquiry committee constituted by the Assembly had nullified appointments made post-2016 but left untouched those made in the period before that year. The petitioners have claimed that the authorities have turned a blind eye to long-standing irregularities that have allegedly persisted since the creation of Uttarakhand in the year 2000.
The PIL seeks judicial directions to investigate individuals who allegedly obtained employment through corrupt means in the Assembly recruitment process. It further prays that such an investigation be supervised by a sitting judge of the High Court. The petitioner has also urged the Court to ensure recovery of government funds from those who were unlawfully appointed and to initiate action as per the law. Moreover, the petition challenges the validity of the Government Order dated 6 February 2003, which imposed a ban on ad-hoc appointments. It argues that the said order is inconsistent with Articles 14, 16, and 187 of the Constitution of India, which guarantee equality before law and the right to equal opportunity in public employment. The plea also contends that provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly 1974 service rules, as well as the Uttarakhand Assembly’s 2011 service regulations, have been violated.
The Court is expected to examine these allegations and legal contentions in detail at the next hearing.
