Overview
- The Supreme Court set aside the September 1, 2024 SCSC minutes rejecting Captain Pramod Kumar Bajaj for ITAT Member (Accountant) and directed the DoPT to reconvene the committee within four weeks, with the outcome due within two weeks after.
- The bench imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the Union government for “rank procrastination” and conduct “bordering on vendetta,” noting the Centre failed to file a counter‑affidavit despite notice.
- Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta found a reasonable apprehension of bias because an SCSC member had earlier faced contempt proceedings at Bajaj’s instance, triggering the rule against bias.
- The judgment anonymised the panelist as “the officer,” but multiple reports identified him as RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra; the court ordered his exclusion from the fresh process.
- Bajaj, an ex‑Army officer turned IRS official ranked All‑India No. 1 by a 2014 committee, saw his appointment stalled for years over alleged IB inputs and departmental actions, including a compulsory retirement later quashed by the Supreme Court in 2023.