The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has received permission to investigate former officials of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) in connection with alleged corruption in the 2010 recruitment of Additional Private Secretaries (APS) in the state.
The investigation, originally recommended by the state government on September 4, 2018, had hit a roadblock due to a lack of sanction to probe certain retired officials.
On September 30, 2020, the CBI had sought permission under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, to investigate three then-serving UPPSC officials, including the then Examination Controller.
While the appointing department had granted permission to act against the then Examination Controller, the Commission had withheld permission to investigate three retired officials, former Joint Secretary Vinod Kumar Singh, retired System Analyst Girish Goyal, and former Review Officer Lal Bahadur Patel.
As a result, only the Examination Controller was named in the FIR registered on August 4, 2021. However, on May 26, 2025, the CBI Director once again requested the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary to allow further investigation into the matter.
Following the request and in view of the alleged involvement of other officials, the UPPSC has now granted the required sanction recently.
With the new approvals in place, the CBI is set to accelerate its probe and will soon begin questioning the three retired officials in order to complete the investigation.
The 2010 APS recruitment process had long been under scrutiny over allegations of irregularities and favoritism. The fresh approval is expected to pave the way for a comprehensive probe into the role of all involved.