Judgment :

ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.- This writ petition is an offshoot of WP (C) No. 150 of 1997. The main grievance in the said writ petition related to alleged irregularities and illegalities committed by Respondent 3 in the present writ petition who is Respondent 7 in the earlier writ petition. It is unnecessary to go into the maze of factual controversies involved in the earlier writ petition and the present writ petition. Challenge is essentially to the appointment of Respondent 3 Ms Neera Yadav as Chief Secretary of Respondent 2 i.e. the State of Uttar Pradesh. Interim prayer in the IA is to stay functioning of Respondent 3 in the said post.

2. It would suffice to note that from 10-1-1994 to 8-11-1995, Respondent 3 was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (in short "NOIDA"). The then Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (in short "CBI") on 6-12-1995 wrote a letter to the then Cabinet Secretary, Government of India seeking sanction for registering a preliminary inquiry into certain allegations of corruption committed by, Respondent 3. The request was reiterated by the then Director of CBI on16-12-1996.

3. It appears that at di