lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, directed the State government to present a reply in the PIl regarding not signing of files by the Chief Minister. Court will hear the matter again on 22 October.
While taking up PIl filed by social activist Nutan Thakur, the Bench of Justice Imtiyaz Murtaza and Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya pointed that this was an important issue which needs to be settled. Additional Advocate General Bulbul Godiyal raised preliminary objection that this was not a PIl, to which the Court said that whatever the State has to say needs to be stated in writing.
In her petition Nutan Thakur claimed that in UP the Chief Minister is not signing any files and decisions are being taken on files by the officers of CM Secretariat in the name of the CM. This is against the rule of law as it dilutes accountability and has the potential of misuse, disputes and litigations. Hence, she claimed to have prayed for issuing direction to the Chief Minister to sign the files himself instead of his officers signing on his behalf.
Meanwhile IPS officer Amitabh Thakur has filed a writ Petition in Allahabad High Court, lucknow bench as regards non-formation of "Police Complaint Authority" in UP so far. He claimed in his petition that the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh vs Union of India had directed
through its order dated 22 September 2006 that all the States shall form independent State and district level "Police Complaint Authorities", separate from the control of Police Department and the State government. No such authority has been formed in UP so far, resulting in no action being taken in any of the complaints sent by him against senior police officers, Thakur claimed. Hence he claimed to have prayed for immediate formation of such Police Complaint Authority at State and district levels.