UP government tightens job verification: Candidates in violent “regime change” activities may be barred

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has tightened character verification rules for candidates selected for direct recruitment to government jobs, saying people involved in violent activities aimed at changing the existing order can be barred from public employment.

The rules apply to candidates selected through direct recruitment in state government departments, corporations, councils and local bodies. Under the order, individuals who belong to organisations whose stated objective is to change the existing order through violent means may be considered ineligible for government employment. Such participation may be treated as evidence that the person remains actively involved, but the presumption can be reconsidered if there is concrete evidence of a positive change in the person’s conduct.

The government has clarified that political ideology alone cannot be a reason to deny a government job, and that an FIR alone will not disqualify a candidate. Employees already in government service will not need fresh character verification. Candidates selected for government jobs may also receive provisional appointment letters before character verification is complete. One report said the revision followed Allahabad High Court directives.

The move has drawn criticism from the opposition Samajwadi Party and Congress, amid a controversy over calls for “regime change” during a recent protest. Neither party’s detailed objections were available in the reports I found.