CBI to probe ‘job scam’ in Mayawati tenure

New Delhi: The CBI on Thursday registered a preliminary inquiry against unidentified officials of Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) for allegedly granting favours to close relatives of public servants in an examination to select additional private secretaries during Mayawati’s rule in 2010.

Sources said the preliminary inquiry is based on a complaint from the BJP-ruled government in the state that was routed to it through the Central government in January.

The complaint alleges that certain unidentified people, including officials of the UPPSC, committed irregularities and misconduct in the examination for about 250 posts of additional private secretaries in 2010. It is also alleged that they extended undue favours to undeserving candidates, it said.

Some of the candidates favoured in the examination did not fulfil even the basic minimum eligibility, officials citing the complaint claimed.

The complaint has alleged that some selected candidates were “close relatives” of public servants then serving the Uttar Pradesh government headed by chief minister Mayawati between 2007-12, they said. Officials of the UPPSC, in connivance with the examiners, altered marks of the candidates to enable their selection, they said.

The officials said that the definition of public servants includes elected representatives who have taken oath of office. But they did say whether the “close relatives” were of elected representatives in the government or not.

The CBI’s move became public on a day when the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party sealed their seat-sharing agreement for Lok Sabha polls to put up a formidable Opposition against the ruling BJP.