UP recruitment scam: the wanted

• The scam dates back to 1998-99

• 280 aspirants were called for interview for recruitment on 70 vacant posts in Group D (clerical staff)

• Mahesh Kumar Gupta was then Director Information

• Prabhat Kumar Sinha was Additional Director, Information, and the Interview Committee Chairman

• Raj Gopal Singh Verma, then Deputy Director, Information, was the nodal officer for the committee

• On complaints by some candidates, the entire selection process was cancelled by the then CM, Ram Prakash Gupta

• A candidate, Amrendra Pratap Singh, filed a writ in the High Court against the cancellation of the process

• The HC asked the government to declare the results in 15 days, but it did not happen as the result sheet and the broad sheet were missing

• A report was filed at Hazratganj police station on January 8, 2002, under Section 409 of IPC (breach of trust)

• Finally, the case went to the CBI on September 24, 2003

Mahesh Kumar Gupta

A 1987 batch (IAS) officer, Mahesh Kumar Gupta hails from Pratapgarh, a small district in eastern UP. A good student, Gupta cleared his M Tech in Electrical Engineering on Power Apparatus and Systems with first division. He started his career as Assistant Collector in 1989 and for ten years he held the post of District Magistrate in districts like Mau, Etah, Gorakhpur and Agra and then commissioner, Mirzapur, before becoming the director, Information, in 1999.

Gupta’s peers considered him close to the BJP and the ruling BSP. Hence, his posting in an important post like Secretary, Home, by the Mayawati Government in June last year didn’t come as a surprise for many.

A low-profile officer, Gupta had his share of controversies. During his short tenure as Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) vice-chairman, from February to September 2003, he was alleged to have committed irregularities in some allotments and a complaint was lodged against him on August 2003. However, the complaint was disposed of and no inquiry was ordered against the officer.

His appointment as Secretary, Power, and Managing Director, UP Jal Vidyut Nigam, in 2005, didn’t go down well with many of his colleagues, who thought he was brought in the department by the then Power Minister, Naresh Agarwal. Many irregularities were reported in the tenders floated during his term. But since Gupta was a part of the government (as secretary) as well as the corporation (as MD), all reports were pushed under the carpet, claimed his colleagues.

Prabhat Kumar Sinha

He is a 1978-batch PCS officer. He has held the posts of Chief Development Officer Hardoi and Aligarh. He has also been Managing Director, Essential Commodities Corporation and Additional Information Director.

Raj Gopal Singh Verma

He is a class-one officer. He was the editor of Uttar Pradesh — a government magazine — in 1999, and was promoted after five years as Deputy Director, Information.

Akhilesh Shukla

A resident of Kanpur, Shukla used to work as a broker for the Information Department officials.