A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu of the Supreme Court upheld a Delhi High Court verdict which dismissed a petition seeking quashing of the appointment of former Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma as Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), saying it cannot meddle with the constitutional procedure.
The bench said there is no good ground, while dismissing the appeal against the High Court judgement which had held as valid the appointment of Sharma as the CAG.
The apex court disagreed with the contention of some former bureaucrats and defence chiefs that appointment of Sharma as the CAG was bad on the ground that during his stint as the Defence Secretary, he had dealt with defence procurements in his various capacities and there might be a conflict of interest when he prepares audit reports in respect of the those procurements.
The bench declined to pass any order on the submission that guidelines be laid down for the selection process after Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi said that the Constitution has left it to the government to aid and advise the President for appointments to constitutional posts like the CAG.