UP CIC M A Khan will continue to remain suspended: SC

New Delhi, Nov 18 (UNI) The Supreme Court today ruled that Uttar Pradesh Chief Information Commissioner(CIC) M A Khan will continue to remain suspended.

Mr Khan was suspended by the Mayawati government for alleged irregularities in the recruitment made by him but the action was stayed by the Allahabad High Court.

A bench comprising Justices B N Aggarwal and G S Singhvi passed the interim order, staying the High Court order, which means that Mr Khan will remain under suspension.

The Uttar Pradesh government had come in appeal against the High Court order which had stayed the directive of the state Governor T V Rajeshwar suspending M A Khan.

S H A Kazmi, senior counsel appearing for UP government, submitted before the court that the High Court was not competent to hear the petition filed by M A Khan against his suspension as only the Supreme Court is competent to hear the reference made by either the President of India or the Governor of a state.

The apex court also ordered the transfer of the petition pending in High Court to the Supreme Court.

Earlier, Mr Khan had criticised the state Chief Minister Mayawati at a function publicly.

Mr Khan as CIC had also entertained some petitions under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking information regarding the benefits given by the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mulayam Singh Yadav from the Chief Minister's discretionary fund/quota.

UNI SC AE RP AS1456