BrahMos Aerospace Director General Jaiteerth R Joshi
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS
The appointment of BrahMos Aerospace Director General, Jaiteerth R Joshi, who assumed office on December 1, 2024, has been quashed by a Hyderabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which found “arbitrariness” in the decision to appoint him as the head of the India-Russia joint venture for the manufacture of missiles.
His appointment was challenged by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) ‘Distinguished Scientist’ Dr Sivasubramanyam Nambi Naidu, who filed a petition in the CAT accusing the Ministry of Defence and his parent organisation of ignoring his seniority and experience by appointing Joshi as DG of BrahMos Aerospace.
In the order issued on Monday, the CAT bench of Varun Kul Kaumudi and Dr Lata Baswaraj Patne, said the appointment is “quashed and set aside”, and directed respondents — MoD and DRDO — to “reconsider the claim of the applicant Naidu for appointment to the post of DG BrahMos within four weeks from the date of receipt of this order”.
“Till a decision is taken on the appointment, as directed above, the respondents shall make an ‘Incharge arrangement’, but not with the 5th respondent (Joshi),” the judgement, accessed by businessline, read.
When contacted, a DRDO official said they had also come to know about it, but no one was willing to comment on the serious development.
The Tribunal also stated that the courts generally avoid interfering in selection of public employment, and the courts cannot step into the shoes of the Selection Committee. “We are conscious of the above position, but when there is manifest arbitrariness in appointing one of the candidates from among the panel, without there being proper consideration and without reflecting application of mind on the part of the competent authority, it definitely infringes the right of the applicant under Article 14 of the Constitution of India and, in such a case, this Tribunal can certainly interfere”, the order read.
“There is manifest arbitrariness in the decision” of the respondents, MoD and DRDO, in appointing Joshi as Director General, BrahMos, the Tribunal stated.
Naidu said in his petition that he was the seniormost among all the candidates who had applied against an advertisement for the post of the DG. At that time, as per Naidu, Joshi was a Programme Director in Pay Level-15, and the juniormost among the candidates who had applied. Naidu also contended that he was a Distinguished Scientist, while Joshi was an ‘Outstanding Scientist’, which is below the cadre of the applicant.
According to Naidu, he was on the top among the shortlisted candidates, both in merit and seniority, in the panel of names recommended for the post of DG BrahMos.
However, Joshi’s appointment was approved by the competent authority.
Naidu, who was happy that he won the case, told businessline that his legal battle was not to seek a post for himself but to bring reform in promotion and posting system within DRDO so that it’s fair and just for everyone.
Published on December 29, 2025
