AMN / LUCKNOW
The Allahabad High Court has expressed strong displeasure over the Uttar Pradesh government’s continued delay in filling vacant posts in the Uttar Pradesh Minority Commission, noting that the issue has remained pending for more than one-and-a-half years.
The vacancies in the statutory commission have reportedly existed since June 12, 2024, raising concerns over the effective functioning of the body responsible for examining complaints and issues concerning minority communities and making recommendations to the state government.
The matter is before the Lucknow Bench in a public interest litigation filed by Shams Tabrez Siddiqui, seeking directions for the appointment of members to the vacant positions.
During an earlier hearing on July 20, the Principal Secretary of the Minority Welfare and Waqf Department appeared before the court and informed it that an affidavit had been filed and steps were being taken to complete the appointment process. The court, however, found the explanation inadequate and granted the state four weeks to take concrete action.
When the case was taken up again on August 20, the bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Jaspreet Singh noted that there had been no substantial progress.
The state government’s counsel told the court that various stages of the selection process had been undertaken and that all pending applications would now be considered together. The government also informed the court that 12 fresh applications had been received since January 2026 and would be included in the process.
The explanation failed to satisfy the bench. Chief Justice Bhansali observed that the latest submission appeared to justify the delay despite the earlier assurance given to the court.
The High Court has now directed the state government to complete the appointments, or at least the appointment process, within four weeks.
The court has fixed September 21, 2026, for the next hearing, when the government will be required to report the progress made in filling the long-pending vacancies.