Blitz Bureau
A Karnataka High Court Bench, headed by Justice R. Devdas, on February 20 quashed the Central Government’s order debarring a retired judge from Government appointments.
Earlier, the court had passed an interim order staying the order issued by the Union Government debarring retired high court judge, Justice Padmaraj Nemachandra Desai from government appointments for three years. Justice Desai, in a petition, submitted that he had been unfairly debarred from Government appointments.
The state Government had appointed Justice Desai to the single-member Commission of Inquiry to look into the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, in which CM Siddaramaiah was named as accused number one. In between, Justice Desai was appointed as a judicial member of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
In his petition, the retired judge stated that he had sought postponement of his joining date for the CAT as he had already taken up the assignment entrusted by the Karnataka Government. He said that instead of considering the request seeking more time, the Centre, through its order dated November 7, 2024, barred him from taking up Government appointments.
Justice Desai said that while passing the order, the Union Government had neither issued him notice in this regard nor sought his consent while issuing the circular debarring him from the Government appointments. The order was issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Justice Desai had questioned the legality of the order.
