In Brief
Captain Pramod Kumar Bajaj, a retired Army officer and former Income Tax official, sought Supreme Court intervention after a Selection Committee rejected his candidature for appointment as Member (Accountant) of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. The Committee included an officer who had previously faced contempt proceedings initiated by Bajaj. The Court held that this officer's presence created a reasonable apprehension of bias, violating natural justice principles. Even without proof of actual bias, the appearance of unfairness vitiates administrative proceedings. The Court set aside the rejection, directed reconstitution of the Committee without the officer, and imposed ₹5 lakh costs on the government for deliberate delays and obstruction spanning over a decade.
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