Uttar Pradesh has reportedly consolidated character-screening rules for direct state hires, retaining a violence-related eligibility criterion while allowing some appointments to proceed before police checks are complete.
NDTV and Press Trust of India reported that a principal secretary in the state’s Appointment and Personnel Department issued the guidance on Oct. 28. They said it applies to direct hires in government departments, boards, corporations, councils and local bodies.
The reports describe the criterion as applying to membership in an organization whose stated aim is to change the existing order through violence. They say officials may weigh whether an applicant took part in relevant activity after turning 21 and during the three years leading up to screening. That activity could indicate the membership remained active, while evidence of changed behavior may affect the assessment.
On criminal cases, NDTV reported that an FIR or investigation alone would not automatically end an applicant’s eligibility. Hindustan Times described a narrower standard: it reported that such matters generally would not disqualify someone before a competent court framed charges, subject to exceptions.
District police and the Local Intelligence Unit are reported to have 30 days after a verification request arrives to submit their findings. A provisional appointment letter may be issued while checks continue if the candidate has submitted a self-declaration and the required documents. Before forwarding an adverse recommendation, the district magistrate must give the applicant an opportunity to respond. Home visits and requiring applicants to appear in person are not routine, according to the reports. Current state employees reportedly will not undergo fresh checks, though appointing authorities may request information from their previous departments.
An Allahabad High Court judgment dated Oct. 1, 2024, reproduced a 1958 state order saying political views alone should not make a person unfit for appointment. The judgment concerned a police constable applicant who had disclosed a criminal case and was later acquitted. The court quashed a Varanasi police official’s 2023 rejection and ordered a fresh decision within three weeks. That ruling addressed the individual applicant’s case.
NDTV reported that Samajwadi Party spokesperson Udayveer criticized the guidelines’ implications for protest, saying, “In independent India, however, the right to protest is a constitutional guarantee.”
