Patent chief's selection: Protocol bent in national interest, govt tells SC

NEW DELHI: Countering the allegations of "backdoor appointment" of Unnat P Pandit as the controller general of patents, designs and trademarks (CGPDTM), who was not allegedly qualified for the post, the Centre told Supreme Court the reason for not following the standard recruitment protocol of issuing an advertisement for the post was due to national interest and institutional exigency.

The Centre filed an affidavit in the apex court in response to the allegations by All India Patent Officers' Welfare Association (AIPOWA) which sought quashing of the appointment for being illegal and it said appointment to the post of CGPDTM has been done in accordance with duly established rules and regulations for appointment by Appointments Committee of Cabinet.

It said public advertisement was first published and applications were invited in 2020 but none of the applicants was qualified for the post which remained vacant. Thereafter, the search panel invoked its inherent discretion to identify a panel of names having background in science or degree in engineering and in law and who demonstrated domain expertise in IPR.

"It is noteworthy that this departure from the standard recruitment protocol was a considered and reasoned administrative response taken in view of institutional exigency and national interest," it said.

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