Singh on August 12 submitted that it was the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s office that delayed the processing of files related to remission of a convict due to the Model Code of Conduct imposed in the state on account of recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections.Consequently, the Supreme Court on Tuesday admonished a senior official for filing ‘false’ affidavits in the court saying it would not tolerate an IAS officer “lying” on face of the court and changing stands according to convenience.A double judge bench, comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, pulled up Rajesh Kumar Singh after Additional Advocate General Garima Prasad, appearing for the state government, said that he did not understand the earlier order of the court.It noted that the stand taken on oath in the affidavit affirmed on August 14 by Singh, was completely different from the solemn statements made by the same officer which were recorded in this court’s order of August 12.Asking the state government to take action against the officer, the bench had said: “Some officers must go to jail, otherwise this conduct will not stop. We are not going to spare him or the state must take action against him.” Singh said that he inadvertently said that the Chief Minister’s secretariat did not accept the files related to remission due to the Model Code of Conduct.The bench told Singh that it did not believe his submission as “You are not an illiterate person that you could not understand what the court said. You are a senior officer of the state government.” The bench took the affidavit of Singh on record and said the court would go deep into the matter and pass an order on September 9.
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