The Allahabad High Court has directed the Standing Counsel to inform the Court about the outcome of investigations in the various FIRs in the selection for the Uttar Pradesh SI recruitment 2021 and as to what decision the state government has taken in the matter.
The Court further directed the Standing Counsel to apprise the Court the reason as to why the same agency NSEIT was engaged for conducting the examination in 2021.
A single-judge bench of Justice Alok Mathur passed this order while hearing a petition filed by Sandeep Parihar and 28 others.
The petitioners are all candidates who have appeared for the selection for the post of Sub-Inspector (Civil Police)/ Platoon Commander (PAC) and Fire Second Officer pursuant to the advertisement dated 24.02.2021.
It is stated that in pursuance to the said advertisement total of 9,534 posts were advertised which were divided into the aforesaid three posts.
The online written examination was conducted from 12.11.2021 to 02.12.2021 in 54 shifts across the centres nominated by Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment Board. Results were declared on 14.4.2022 and subsequently, the next stage for selection was carried out.
Certain very serious allegations have been levelled by the petitioner with regard to the online examination conducted between 12.11.2021 to 02.12.2021 with regard to which several FIRs have been lodged.
Counsel for the petitioner has annexed several FIRs including FIR No 434 which was lodged on 23.11.2021 at Police Station Ramgarh Tal, District Gorakhpur, under Sections 116, 120 B, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 IPC where it is alleged that various persons who are controlling the examination centres had permitted certain specialists to solve the question papers online.
The Court noted,
Very specific allegations have been levelled in the said FIR stating that the said controllers of the examination centres appointed by the agency NSEIT had facilitated certain persons by allotting separate labs which enabled certain persons to impersonate and answer the said questions. The said FIR has been lodged by the STF Gorakhpur.
Similar allegations also find mention in the FIR lodged on 24.11.2021 at police station Shahpur, District Gorakhpur, under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 201 & Section 68 of Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 and it is submitted that in all around 33 FIRs have been lodged by the State agencies.
Apart from the said allegations, another serious allegation has been levelled with regard to the agency which has conducted the said examination. It has been informed that on a previous occasion, the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board had conducted the selection with regard to the Sub-Inspectors of Civil Police in the year 2017. In the said examination also, there were serious allegations of irregularities which have come forth and the said allegations were duly inquired. It was found that the allegations were correct and the entire examination was conducted in the most illegal and unauthorized manner and even the question papers were leaked prior to the said examination resulting in passing of the order dated 25.7.2017 by the recruitment Board cancelling the entire examination.
It has been submitted by the counsel for the petitioner that even in the said examination on the previous occasion also there were serious allegations of irregularities in conducting the examination by NSEIT and the same agency has conducted the present examination.
We are unable to fathom as to the reason which propelled the State Government to engage the same agency yet again for conducting the present examination in 2021, where previously the same agency was found to be involved in leakage of question paper, the Court said.
Additional Chief Standing Counsel submitted that he may be permitted to seek instructions with regard to the allegations levelled by the petitioner in the writ petition.
“List this case on 28.7.2022 in top ten cases by which date the Standing Counsel shall inform the Court firstly about the outcome of the investigations in the various FIRs and as to what decision the State Government has taken in this regard and shall also specifically apprise the Court the reason as to why the same agency NSEIT was engaged for conducting the examination in 2021.
Let the Secretary of the Recruitment Board be present in the Court along with relevant records for assistance in the Court on the next date,” the Court ordered.