HC refuses to stay CEO posting

NEW DELHI, SEPT 2: The Delhi High Court today declined to restrain the Central Government from appointing the new CEO of Prasar Bharati but issued show cause notices to the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Law, Justice and Company Affairs on the petition filed by axed CEO SS Gill.

In his petition, Gill had challenged the constitutional validity of the Prasar Bharati ordinance promulgated by the Government on Saturday. A division bench comprising Justices RC Lahoti and CK Mahajan, however, said whether notices could be issued to the Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sushma Swaraj and her deputy Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi would be decided on September 7 after an affidavit filed by the petitioner on allegations that the two had made certain statements against Gill. Gill, in his petition, had called the Government action mala fide.

Gill’s lawyer, Kapil Sibal, strongly objected to the observation by the Attorney General that the whole exercise was aimed at getting publicity. He said thepetitioner was not questioning the appointment of a new CEO. The bench said any appointment made by the Government to the post of CEO would be “subject to the final order on the writ petition”.

The bench directed the ministries and the Prasar Bharati board to reply to the notices within four weeks and fixed the matter for hearing on October 14.