Telangana High Court stays CAT orders on BrahMos DG appointment

The Telangana High Court has put a hold on the orders issued by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) regarding the appointment of the Director General (DG) of the BrahMos missile program. The move comes after CAT had last month directed the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to reconsider the application of senior scientist S. Nambi Narayanan for the DG position, effectively overturning the appointment of Jaithirth R. Joshi.

In December, the CAT bench had asked the Ministry of Defence to review Narayanan’s claim, arguing that his seniority and experience warranted consideration. Narayanan, a Distinguished Scientist at DRDO, was among the three shortlisted candidates for the post. He had approached CAT in November 2024, highlighting that he had seven more years of seniority than Joshi and had held the ‘Outstanding Scientist’ rank since 2017.

Jaithirth R. Joshi officially assumed charge as BrahMos DG on December 2, 2024. However, the controversy surrounding his appointment prompted CAT’s intervention and, subsequently, the High Court’s stay. Experts note that this leadership dispute comes at a critical time when India is executing major defense supply orders, and the case could have implications for decision-making on strategic projects like the BrahMos missile program.