HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday granted interim suspension of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order dated December 29, 2025, which had quashed the appointment of Dr Jaiteerth R Joshi as director general of the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos.
A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin granted four weeks to the respondents to file counters and two weeks thereafter for reply counters. The court was hearing writ petitions filed by the Union of India and Dr Joshi challenging the CAT decision.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the CAT applicant, Dr Sivasubramaniam Nambi Naidu, had only 17 months of residual service, while Dr Joshi had about six years, which was necessary for a long-term strategic mission like BrahMos. He said the selection was based on suitability and merit, not seniority.
Senior counsel S Niranjan Reddy, appearing for Dr Joshi, said the selection process was confidential and conducted as per Service Rules, 2022. He argued that there were no allegations of mala fides and that the CAT erred in substituting its assessment for that of an expert committee.
Opposing the petitions, counsel for Dr Sivasubramaniam Nambi Naidu argued that the applicant’s higher rank and completed residency period placed him on a superior footing. After hearing all sides, the bench stayed the CAT order and directed completion of pleadings before listing the matter again.