LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking quashing of appointments made in the secretariat of UP Legislative Assembly following the advertisement issued on December 7, 2020, so far as the same related to the 53 posts of assistant review officer (ARO). It held that the allegations of corruption in the selection process for appointments of AROs could not be substantiated from records.
Passing the order, a bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh said, “I find that the petitioners have not been able to substantiate the allegations of corrupt practices, manipulations and illegal and arbitrary exercise of powers, while conducting the selection process for the post of ARO and, therefore, this court cannot permit the petitioners to open a fishing and roving inquiry of the selection, especially when the petitioners could not secure marks above the cut-off-marks in their written examination.”
The bench passed the order on the writ petition moved by unsuccessful candidates Ankur Saroha and another. The petitioners had challenged the selections of AROs on the plea that corruption had prevailed in the selection as several near and dear ones of key officials of secretariat and the agencies which conducted the examination were appointed illegally.
