High Court hears petition against Noida appointments

The Allahabad High Court today began hearing the final arguments in connection with the petition challenging the appointment of Noida Chief Executive Officer Sanjeev Saran and Chairman Rakesh Bahadur by the Samajwadi Party government. The hearing will continue on Thursday with the state government advancing its final arguments.

The petition, filed by Madhav Samaj Nirman Samiti, a social organisation, had alleged that the two officials, during their previous tenure between 2005 and 2007 on the same posts, were allegedly involved in financial bungling to the tune of several thousand crores by allotting plots meant for hotel industry at throwaway prices. At that point too, the SP government was in power.

When the BSP government took over, the state lodged an FIR and initiated a departmental inquiry against them, none of which have been finally disposed of so far, the petition had argued. The High Court had earlier asked the state government to re-consider the appointments in the backdrop of the allegations. But the state government had refrained from taking any decision.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Amitava Lala and Justice PKS Baghel is hearing the petition. M D Singh 'Shekhar', counsel for the petitioner, said: "We have argued before the court that the state government should not defend the appointments of the officers in question, as it is the state itself that has lodged the FIR and initiated an inquiry."

Earlier, the court had appointed a court commissioner to assess the current situation of the plots, which were allegedly allotted by the officers concerned at throwaway prices. The commissioner has submitted a report in the sealed cover. It was alleged that the plots were to be allotted at Rs 74,000 per square metre, but the officers in question allotted them at Rs 7,400 per square metre.

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