‘Targeted Vendetta’: Supreme Court Imposes ₹5 Lakh Costs on Union Govt over ITAT Appointment Delay

The Supreme Court imposed a cost of ₹5 lakh on the Union Government for deliberately blocking the appointment of former IRS officer Captain Pramod Kumar Bajaj as an ITAT Member for over a decade.

The Court termed the conduct a case of “targeted departmental vendetta” and grave injustice.

It held that the latest selection process was vitiated due to reasonable apprehension of bias, as a committee member had earlier faced contempt proceedings at the petitioner’s instance.

The Court directed reconstitution of the selection committee after excluding the said officer.

[Captain Pramod Kumar Bajaj v. UOI & Anr.]