The Central Administrative Tribunal's Hyderabad bench has ordered the removal of Dr Jaiteerth R Joshi (in pic) from his position as Director General and Chief Executive Officer of BrahMos Aerospace, following a challenge by senior DRDO scientist Dr Sivasubramaniam Nambi Naidu.

This ruling, pronounced on 29 December 2025 after being reserved on 6 November 2025, quashed Joshi's appointment order dated 25 November 2024, citing procedural irregularities and arbitrariness in the selection process.

Naidu, a Distinguished Scientist at Pay Level-16 and Director of the Centre for Advanced Systems (CAS), alleged that he was unjustly superseded despite being seven years senior to Joshi and holding a superior rank.

At the time of the advertisement for the post (No. 03/2024(i), closing 12 September 2024), both candidates were Scientists 'H' at Pay Level-15, but Naidu's promotion to Distinguished Scientist on 7 October 2024 was not accorded due weightage, according to the tribunal.

The tribunal scrutinised the powers of the Secretary, DDR&D and Chairman, DRDO, noting that while empowered to approve one name from the Selection Committee's panel of three, the authority cannot disregard the full service records of other empanelled scientists.

A two-member screening committee shortlisted eligible candidates, including Naidu and Joshi, who then faced interaction by a high-level Selection Committee chaired by the Chairman of the Recruitment and Assessment Centre (RAC) on 22 October 2024.

The committee recommended three names in alphabetical order—without indicating merit or seniority—scoring all at 80 marks, but the Chairman, DRDO selected Joshi as the "most suitable" on 22 November 2024, leading to his assumption of charge on 1 December 2024.

Naidu highlighted his accolades, including Scientist of the Year 2019, DRDO Performance Excellence Awards for Prithvi and Dhanush weaponisation, and a rare Tri-Services Medal from the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee—the first for a civilian.

He also emphasised managing over five projects simultaneously as Project Director since July 2011 and leading helicopter-launched missile programmes at CAS, a highly strategic lab.

Joshi defended his selection by citing 27 years in DRDO, promotions to Scientist 'H', roles as Project Director for the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) since 2017, Programme Director since 2022, and experience with international joint ventures akin to BrahMos.

He noted 17 awards, nine fellowships, and 73 months of residual service versus Naidu's 30 months, arguing that Naidu's post-advertisement promotion and lack of specified seniority weightage in the rules justified the outcome.

The respondents invoked Rule 10 of the Defence Research and Development Service (DRDS) Rules, 2023, affirming the Chairman, DRDO's authority as Head of Service to deploy any senior scientist to Director General posts, though an advertisement and SOP were followed here.

The SOP for Corporate DGs like BrahMos requires a Scientist 'H' or above with lab/programme director tenure and 18 months residual service; desirable qualifications include M.Tech/PhD, but no overriding priority for Distinguished Scientists or seniority.

The tribunal rejected claims of absolute discretion, deeming the process arbitrary for overlooking Naidu's seniority, higher grade experience, and leadership without rational justification, despite equal suitability assessments.

It directed the Ministry of Defence and DRDO to remove Joshi immediately, restart the selection process, reconsider Naidu's and other seniors' claims afresh within four weeks, and appoint an interim in-charge—explicitly barring Joshi.

Until resolved, no final appointment can occur, ensuring continuity at BrahMos Aerospace, the Indo-Russian joint venture (50.5% Indian, 49.5% Russian) renowned for the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile.

This verdict underscores scrutiny over DRDO's leadership appointments in strategic clusters, potentially impacting future selections for posts like DG (Missiles), (Naval Systems), and others under the seven Technology and six Corporate Clusters.

BrahMos, headquartered in New Delhi with operations in Hyderabad, plays a pivotal role in India's defence self-reliance, marketing the missile to global partners amid ongoing Indo-Russian collaborations.

The decision arrives amid heightened focus on indigenous manufacturing and technology transfers, with implications for operational stability at this critical entity.

​Agencies