The Allahabad High Court has directed Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a Special Investigating Team to look into allegations “arbitrary and illegal” allotment of shops in Mandi area of Noida and submit its report within 3 months of the setting up of the Team.
A division bench comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice Sunita Agarwal said in an order dated November 19 that the Special Investigating Team “shall be constituted by the Chief Secretary within 15 days from the date of communication of this order”.
The “aforesaid team must have, besides other officials, a member of the Higher Judicial Service and senior police personnel from the cadre of Indian Police Service”, it said.
The order came on a petition filed by M/S Ranjeet Fruit and Vegetables Company and others who had challenged an allotment list dated May 31 this year whereby the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar had “approved and sanctioned allotment of shops in notified Mandi area to dealers named therein“.
The petitioners had alleged that “in a very arbitrary and illegal manner, Secretary, Noida, and certain other officials of Mandi Parishad had proceeded on their own to submit a select list of 133 dealers for allotment of shops”.
