New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday wondered why a 71-year-old man has challenged the process of appointment of heads of five public sector banks and even expressed suspicion of him being a "front man".
"He must be a front man," was the initial reaction of the bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu, which later asked why former president of All India Bank Officers Confederation K D Kheda has knocked the doors of the apex court.
"Why a 71-year person is interested? When we go into the merits of the matter, we will see," the bench, also comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy, observed.
At the outset, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said the reply to the May 5 notice was ready but he would like to go into it before placing before the bench and sought a week's time. The bench posted the matter after two weeks.
The PIL, filed by former president of All India Bank Officers Confederation K D Kheda, challenges the February 26 advertisement for appointment of CEOs and MDs of Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank and IDBI Bank.
The cut-off age for the posts has been reduced from 58 to 55 years.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that vested interest comes into play and once the appointment takes place, it becomes difficult to deal with.
Before deferring the matter, the Attorney General said that all high ranking officers can apply for the posts.
At this moment, the bench wanted to know why a retired person was filing the petition and wondered whether he was a frontman.
Rohatgi said "the front man can't apply" and even the petition is "premature".
The apex court on May 5 had sought responses from the government and Reserve Bank of India on a PIL challenging the appointment process of heads of five public sector banks and reducing the cut-off age from 58 to 55 years.
The notice was also issued to the Department of Financial Services on the plea contending that the cut-off age for eligibility was "unjustly, irrationally and unilaterally" reduced, against the advice and view of Appointment Committee of Cabinet.
Quoting provisions of Banking Companies Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings Act 1980, the plea contended that only whole-time directors of public sector banks, whose names are cleared by the Central Vigilance Commission, can be appointed to head public sector banks.
It alleged that eligibility criteria for the posts of CEO and MD of the five banks have been set "with a sole objective to make all existing executives directors of Public Sector Banks ineligible."
"Executive Directors of PSB, who were the only persons eligible under old policy, will automatically become ineligible solely on account of cut-off age of 55 years with three years Board experience, which is purposely and malfidely reduced in the case of appointment of MD and CMD only for these five large PSB," the petition said.
