SC Quashes Allahabad HC’s Suo Motu CBI Probe Into UP Legislative Council Recruitment

The controversy arose from challenges to the 2020 recruitment process for various posts in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council Secretariat. Two writ petitions alleged unfairness, arbitrariness, favouritism, and manipulation in the selection process. A Single Judge directed that future Class-III posts be filled only by the UP Subordinate Services Selection Commission and left contractual appointees to continue until regular selections were made.

When the State and Legislative Council appealed this order, the Division Bench clubbed the appeal with another pending writ petition and went on to direct a preliminary CBI enquiry into the recruitment, registering the matter as a suo motu PIL. Review petitions were dismissed, prompting the present appeals before the Supreme Court.

Main Issue: Whether the High Court was justified in converting a special appeal into a suo motu PIL and ordering a CBI preliminary enquiry into the recruitment process despite the absence of pleadings, prayer, or foundational material warranting such an investigation.

SC Held: The Supreme Court set aside the High Court’s orders, holding that the Division Bench exceeded its jurisdiction by directing a CBI probe based merely on “doubt” and unspecified “inexplicable details.” The Court emphasized that CBI investigations can be ordered only in exceptional situations backed by concrete material showing prima facie wrongdoing, not on assumptions or routine allegations in recruitment matters. Since neither writ petition sought a CBI enquiry and the threshold for such extraordinary intervention was not met, the directions were quashed.

The Court restored the matter to the Division Bench to decide the special appeal on its own merits and left the issue of registering any PIL to the Chief Justice of the High Court.

To Read Full Judgment, Download PDF Given Below