The court reinforced that appointments made by a selection committee should not be judicially reviewed unless there are clear statutory violations or evidence of bad faith.

JUDGMENT

1. The instant appeal has been filed impugning the Judgment dated 06.11.2020 wherein this Court dismissed W.P.(C) 4164/2020 preferred by the Appellant herein whereby the Appellant had challenged the selection/appointment of Respondent No.3 to the post of Director General of Respondent No.1, i.e. Indian Institute of Mass Communication (hereinafter referred to as "IIMC").

2. The facts leading to the instant petitions are stated as under:

a) It is stated that the Appellant here in is a Professor and Dean of the School of Mass Communication at Chitkara University, Punjab, and IIMC is an autonomous institute that has been established in the year 1965 under the aegis of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, i.e. Respondent No.2, for the purposes of teaching, training, research and consultancy in the field of Mass Communication.

b) An advertisement dated 13.06.2019 was issued by IIMC inviting applications for the post of Director General of IIMC, with the last date of for submission of applications being 19.07.2019. The essential and desirable requirements as sought for under the advertisement are being reproduced as under:

Educational & other qualifications required:

OR

Officers not below the rank of additional secretary in the Government of India or equivalent thereto with experience of managing or making personal contribution in one of the following areas:

- Writing Stories/Lyrics/Screen play.

- Editing of Films/TV Programmes.

- Production of Films/TV Programmes.

DESIRABLE:

c) It is stated that on 23.05.2022, the Appellant herein had issued a communication via email to the Vice-President of India and the Chancellor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (hereinafter referred to as the "MCRPV"), regarding allegations of fraud against Respondent No.3, Mr. Sanjay Dwivedi, who was the Vice-Chancellor of the said University. The email states that not only are there criminal cases pending against Respondent No.3, but W.P.(C) 12660/2015 has been filed against the appointment of Respondent No.3 as Reader at the said University before the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

d) It is stated that Respondent No.3 was appointed as DG of IIMC, and the Appellant herein has communicated reservations against the same to various authorities on account of Respondent No.3 allegedly not satisfying the minimum eligibility criteria for the post of DG of IIMC. Thereafter, the Appellant herein preferred W.P.(C) 4164/2020 challenging the appointment of Respondent No.3 to the post of DG of Respondent No.1 herein as well as to direct Respondent Nos. 1 & 2 to probe into the alleged illegal appointment of Respondent No.3.

e) Vide Judgement dated 06.11.2020, the learned Single Judge of this Court dismissed W.P.(C) 4164/2020 holding that there was no merit in the petition moved by the Appellant herein. Aggrieved by the same, the Appellant has moved the instant appeal assailing the said Judgement.

3. Mr. N.S. Dal