Challenge to appointment as Delhi CP abuse of process of law, result of vendetta: Asthana to HC
New Delhi, Sep 17: Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana has told the Delhi High Court that there is a sustained social media campaign against him and the legal challenge to his appointment as Delhi Police Commissioner was an abuse of process of law, arising from vendetta.
In his affidavit filed on a public interest litigation (PIL) against his appointment, Asthana said that ever since he was appointed Special Director, CBI, proceedings are being consistently filed against him by certain organisations as part of a selective campaign .
There are two organisations namely Common Cause and Centre for Public Interest Litigations who are professional public interest litigants and exist only for filing litigations as the only way of public service. One or two individuals run both the organisation enjoying deep and pervasive control over these organisations," the affidavit said.
"Individuals running them in recent past for some oblique and ostensible undisclosed reason have started barrage of selective actions against me either out of some vendetta about which I am not aware or at the behest of some individual/interest, it added.
This personal vendetta or a proxy war is projected under the PIL cloak, it said, adding that the Court may not allow such attempts using the august forum.
The affidavit further said: Not only the process of law was abused against the deponent, but in addition there was a sustained social media campaign which corroborates and justifies the apprehension of the deponent that the challenge to my appointment is the result of either some vendetta which is unknown to me or is being conducted at the behest of some undisclosed individual/ rival / interest.
The affidavit was filed in response to the PIL by Sadre Alam, a lawyer, who has sought quashing of the July 27 order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs appointing Asthana as the Delhi Police Commissioner as also the order granting inter-cadre deputation as well as extension of service to him just before his superannuation on July 31.
Asthana said the merits and demerits of his appointment could only be dealt with by the central government.
The Centre has submitted that Asthana's appointment was done in public interest, keeping in mind the diverse law and order challenges faced by the national capital.
Defending Asthana's appointment, the Centre, in an affidavit, said that it felt a compelling need to appoint a person as a head of the police force of Delhi, who had diverse and vast experience of heading a large police force in a large State having diverse political as well as public order problem/ experience of working and supervising Central Investigating Agency(s) as well as para-military forces .
The Centre said his service tenure was also extended in public interest, in exercise of the powers vested in the cadre controlling authority.
The prime consideration for the same was that Delhi being the capital of the country has been witnessing diverse and extremely challenging situations of public order/law and order situation/policing issues which not only had national security implications but also international/cross border implications, said the affidavit filed by the Secretary, Union Home Ministry.
It explained that the when a search for a suitable candidate was done in the Union Territory cadre, it was felt that requisite experience was lacking in the present pool of available officers.
In the affidavit filed through lawyer Amit Mahajan, the Centre said no fault can be found in the appointment of Asthana as Delhi Police Commissioner, which has been done in accordance with and after scrupulously following all the applicable rules and regulations.
The Centre said that the PIL, as well as the intervention of NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) -- which has challenged Asthana's appointment before the Supreme Court, deserves to be dismissed with exemplary costs .
The petition has contended that the appointment of Asthana is in clear and blatant breach of the directions passed by the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh case as the officer does not have a minimum residual tenure of six months and no UPSC panel was formed for his appointment of Delhi Police Commissioner.
It also contended that the High-Powered Committee comprising the Chief Justice of India, Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition, in its meeting held on May 24, 2021, rejected the Central government''s attempt to appoint Asthana as the CBI Director on the basis of the six-month rule as laid down by the Supreme Court in the Prakash Singh case.
The appointment of Asthana to the post of Commissioner of Police, Delhi must be set aside on the same principle, it said.
The petition with similar prayers which has been filed by CPIL before the Supreme Court has urged to direct the central government to produce the July 27 order it issued, approving the inter-cadre deputation of Asthana from Gujarat cadre to AGMUT cadre.
The petition has also urged the apex court to set aside the Centre's order to extend Asthana's service period.
On August 25, the Supreme Court had asked the high court to decide within two weeks the plea pending before it against the appointment of the senior IPS officer as Delhi Police Commissioner.
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
