High Court Reserves Judgment On Removal Of Uttar Pradesh Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday concluded the hearing and reserved its judgment on a PIL seeking removal of deputy chief minister of UP Keshav Prashad Maurya referring to his criminal history, alleging that he was implicated in seven criminal cases before being appointed as deputy chief minister of the state.

In the PIL, the petitioner has also referred to a controversial statement made by Deputy Chief Minister Maurya on July 14, which declared that “party organization is bigger than the government,”.

Hearing a PIL filed by one Manjesh Kumar Yadav, an advocate by profession, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Vikas Budhwar passed the above mention order.

During the course of hearing, the counsel for the petitioner contended that Maurya’s remarks  – party organization is bigger than the government- undermined the dignity of his office and cast doubts on the transparency and purity of the government.

The lack of response or denial from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Governor, and the Election Commission further compounds the issue, highlighting it as a matter of serious concern, he added.

Moreover, the petition also references Maurya’s criminal history, noting that he has been implicated in seven criminal cases prior to his appointment as Deputy Chief Minister.

In the petition it is pleaded that appointing someone with such a record to a constitutional office is inappropriate and sets a dangerous precedent.