HC scraps museum head appointment

NEW DELHI: Delhi high court on Friday set aside the appointment of director of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society (NMMLS) and rued the “chalta hai” attitude of NMMLS that appointed Mahesh Rangarajan without widely advertising for the post.
Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw was surprised to discover that in appointing Rangarajan as director, the NMMLS failed to advertise for the post and instead relied on “personal contact”, prompting the bench to observe that “jurisprudentially, personal contact as a mode of appointment can’t be accepted.”
“Recruitment solely by personal contact is likely to restrict the choice of applicants and is likely to constitute discrimination...the attitude of NMMLS of wanting to proceed with the appointment in spite of the best practice having not been followed is an attitude of ‘chalta hai’ plaguing the country,” HC observed while scrapping Rangarajan’s appointment order that was issued last month.HC asked the society to make a fresh appointment within three months and till then Rangarajan can continue in office. HC gave the society the freedom to reconsider Rangarajan’s appointment as per proper procedure or till his successor is found or his appointment reconfirmed.
An autonomous institution under the Union ministry of culture, NMMLS aims to preserve and reconstruct the history of the Indian independence struggle with special reference to the Nehru era. The court order came on a petition by Shri Krishan, a professor at Rohtak in Maharshi Dayanand University. He challenged the appointment alleging that the society, headed by veteran Congress leader Karan Singh, has failed to follow the procedure laid down for the appointment.
“The appointment of Rangarajan has been done on recommendation of selection committee from among persons selected through personal contact or from among candidates who have been recommended by such persons or authorities from whom recommendation has been called for by the chairman of the executive council,” the petitioner argued in his plea.
Shri Krishan said the post of NMMLS director was to fall vacant on August 9 and the institution was supposed to notify the vacancy in the employment exchange and issue advertisements in February. The society, instead, appointed a search committee and on its recommendation on July 8, appointed Rangarajan.