Rangnath Pandey to be the new Principal Secretary,Law of UP

Lucknow: After months of uncertainty the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to appoint Gorakhpur District Judge Rangnath Pandey as state’s Principal Secretary, Law and Legal Remembrancer (LR).

It came following acceptance of the Uttar Pradesh government ,the recommendations of Allahabad High Court Chief Justice in this regard. The post was lying vacant for several months.

The Allahbad High Court had even called the state Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan a couple of times about posting the new incumbent.

In fact, the Court had recommended name of Rangnath pandey on more than one occasion.

About Rangnath Pandey

Rangnath Pandey had already served the government from August 31 ,2009 to July 9, 2014 as special secretary and Additional LR before being made DJ of Siddharthnagar and later Gorakhpur.

Ranjan submits affidavit:

The chief secretary of state Alok Ranjan, who was present in the Court, submitted an affidavit tendering unconditional apology, in respect of an earlier mistake where in he had filed an affidavit that the High Court had failed to respond to the letters sent by the state government for sending the panel of names to be appointed as principal secretary (law).

The Court on the last occasion had directed the Chief Secretary to file an explanation as to how he filed a false affidavit that the High Court did not respond to the letters of the state government with regard to the appointment of principal secretary (law).

The chief secretary inspite of submitting explanation, had choosen to tender unconditional apology, saying that he had no intention to file a false affidavit but the narration of fact in the affidavit was a bona-fide mistake. The Bench after going through the affidavit accepted his apology.

The Seven-judges bench presided over by chief justice Dr DY Chandrachud however issued certain directions in respect of security, CCTVs, biometric cards in the High Court here and it's lucknow bench and deferred the hearing till May 25 asking the state government to implement the other directions issued in this regard by the Court.