Come Up With Clear Stand On Timeline Within Which Appointments To Uttar Pradesh PCB Will Be Finalised: High Court Directs State Govt
|The Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench has told the Uttar Pradesh State Government to come up with a clear stand regarding the timeline within which the Chairman and Member Secretary of U.P. Pollution Control Board (PCB) will be finalised.
The Court observed this in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) preferred by the petitioner named Kashi Prasad Yadav, a social worker who alleged rampant corruption in the board owing the aforesaid posts being vacant.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi and Justice Om Prakash Shukla said, “Not entering into the locus or disclosure of the credentials of the present petitioner at this stage, we expect the State Government to come up with a clear stand as to the time line, within which appointment of Chairman and Member Secretary of U.P. Pollution Control Board in pursuance of the advertisement issued, if any, would be carried out and finalised.”
Advocate Ashok Pandey with Advocate Aadya Antya represented the petitioner while Standing Counsel V.P. Nag represented the State and Advocate Anand Dwivedi represented the Centre.
In this case, as per the High Court, the petition in public interest filed by the petitioner did not show that he, at any point of time, showed any interest in the subject matter or in the pursuit of any social work but disclosed his identity to be a Journalist without proof of any registration. The cause appeared to be in continuation of some grievance raised before the Apex Court in Writ Petition (Civil) Diary No(s). 21664 of 2023: Amitabh Srivastava v. State of Uttar Pradesh which itself was disposed of on August 4, 2023. The petitioner in the said writ petition was a different person.
The Court, therefore, noted, “If the process has not been initiated, the State Government may come up with a time bound programme within which the vacant posts of public functionaries may be filled up. In absence of such functionaries, allegations of rampant corruption in the office are made.”
The Court directed that the complete instructions to such an effect shall be obtained by the Sanding Counsel for the State within 10 days.
Accordingly, the High Court listed the case for the next hearing on September 11, 2023.
Cause Title- Kashi Prasad Yadav v. Union of India Thru. Secy. Ministry Of Environment, Forest Climate Change And 2 Others