CAT Quashes BrahMos Aerospace DG Appointment, Cites Arbitrariness

• CAT Hyderabad Bench annulled Jaiteerth R. Joshi's appointment as Director General of BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russia joint venture, finding it arbitrary.
• The Tribunal stated DRDO Chairman and Secretary disregarded SOP by overlooking other qualified scientists, specifically Sivasubramanian Nambi Naidu.
• Naidu, a Distinguished Scientist, met the mandatory six-year experience, while Joshi had only one year as an Outstanding Scientist despite equal scores.
• CAT cited an Andhra Pradesh High Court precedent, emphasizing that absolute discretionary power contradicts constitutional governance principles.
• The decision raises concerns about transparency in defense sector appointments and potential discontent among DRDO scientists.

Why It Matters: CAT's ruling on BrahMos DG appointment highlights concerns over arbitrary selections in defense.