Delhi HC Dismisses PIL Challenging Appointment of MDNIY Director

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the appointment of Ishwarappa Veerbhadrappa Basavaraddi as the director of the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), an autonomous institution under the AYUSH ministry.

The petitioner alleged that Basavaraddi lacked the necessary qualifications for the role and provided false employment records.

A bench of former Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula stated that Basavaraddi’s “profile aligns with that envisioned for the director of MDNIY” and concluded that he was “not merely qualified but indeed aptly suited for the role.”

Additionally, as Basavaraddi had retired from the position on June 30, rendering the PIL “moot,” the court dismissed the petition.

The petitioner, a former assistant professor at MDNIY from 2015 to 2018, claimed to have witnessed administrative discrepancies during Basavaraddi’s directorship, which began on June 26, 2005, despite an alleged deficiency in meeting the required qualifications.

The bench emphasized that “mere dissatisfaction with the outcomes related to an appointment process or the performance of an appointee does not per se translate into legal infirmity.” The petitioner failed to provide indisputable proof to sustain the challenge.

The court acknowledged the importance of the sanctity of appointments to public offices and emphasized that a writ petition must be based on firm evidence that disrupts the presumption of regularity in public appointments.