Allahabad HC quashes its order for CBI probe into teacher recruitment process

In a major relief to the Uttar Pradesh government, a division bench of the Allahabad High Court Monday quashed a single-judge bench order for a CBI probe into the process of appointment of 68,500 assistant basic teachers in the state.

Earlier, the division bench passed an interim order on December 11, 2018, staying the single judge order of November 1.

Allowing the special appeal filed by the state government against the single judge order, the division bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Manish Mathur of the Lucknow bench observed that there was no material before the single judge to pass the order for a CBI inquiry into the matter.

The division bench was of the view that it was improper on the part of the single judge to record finding of corruption without any inquiry into the recruitment process.

Arguing for the state government, Advocate General Raghvendra Singh had submitted that there was no aspect of criminality in the appointment process and the single judge committed serious error in recording finding that there was element of corruption.

In a major setback to the Yogi Adityanath government in its first major appointments in basic education department in Uttar Pradesh, Justice Irshad Ali had on November 1 directed the CBI to make investigation into the entire process of selection initiated for the recruitment of 68,500 assistant teachers in primary schools.