Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court today asked the state government to file its reply by tomorrow on the petitions, filed separately by suspended IPS officer Amitabh Thakur and advocate M N Rai, challenging the appointment of the Information Commissioners for the UP Information Commission.

A division bench of Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi also directed the petitioners to file their reply to the said affidavit within three days.

Earlier, the court had asked the state government to clarify about the procedure adopted by the three-member committee for screening of suitable persons to be choosen as information commissioners. The government was also asked to respond how 644 applications could be scrutinised by the committee within a short period of a meeting which started at 11 AM, and the recommendations sent on the same date. The state counsel submitted that the affidavit, that was directed to file, shall be served on the petitioners by Thursday. “Let the said affidavit be served by tomorrow, to which a reply will be filed with in three days. List in the next cause list,” the court ordered. — PTI