HC issues notices to Centre, DD on scribes' appointment

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today issued notices to the Centre and public broadcaster Prasar Bharati on a plea seeking early hearing of an appeal against a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) verdict quashing the appointment of 25 Doordarshan news anchors and reporters.

The plea by scribe Harikesh Bahadur Singh has sought an early hearing on the ground that the petition filed against the CAT's judgement would become infructuous as anchors and reporters were completing three years tenure on January 31.

The high court had stayed the CAT's order quashing the appointment of DD News anchors and reporters, also including Yashvi Tirath, daughter of Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath.

Singh, in his fresh plea, said "in the interest of justice, the present case and other tagged petitions should be heard and finally decided at a date before January 30 or suitable directions be issued to prevent miscarriage of justice."

Journalists, whose appointments were held illegal by the panel, were "deliberately" delaying disposal of the case to take advantage of "status quo" order passed by the high court, said Singh whose plea was decided in his favour by the CAT, said.

"The reason to cause procedural delay by the petitioners is obvious as they will complete their tenure of three years on the existing illegal appointments on January 31, 2012, under the garb of interim order of this court and thereafter, they will seek withdrawal of their writ petitions after January 31, 2012, as being infructuous," he said.

The CAT had found that rules for appointment were changed arbitrarily at the last moment to favour some candidates who did not perform well in written test.