The Ministry of Culture has been chastised by the Delhi High Court for delaying the appointment of the Director of the National Drama School. The ministry suggested theatre director Dr J. Thulaseedhara Kurup for the position in July 2019. Justice Jyoti Singh levied a Rs 25,000 fine on the government for failing to finish the selection procedure in a timely manner, which would have assured that the proposal was considered by ACC. It was unclear whether Kurup’s name had been authorised by the ACC.
Kurup, who has received the Fulbright Doctoral and Professional Research Fellowship as well as other scholarships and fellowships from the Indian government, has directed and produced a variety of documentaries, television shows, and short films.
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Kurup had contacted the court in 2019 after learning that his name had been unanimously approved for the position despite the fact that the interviews had been held. The court ordered the ministry to continue the case with ACC on May 13, 2019, and said that it expects the latter to make a judgement within two weeks. Suresh Sharma was first nominated for the position by the ministry, but the ACC questioned the government’s decision because Sharma was on the panel at Serial No. 3.
Kurup said in his suit filed last year that the ministry provided the file containing its suggestion only on July 11, 2019, only two days before the two-month time was to finish, in defiance of the court, in order to deny him consideration. He was also told that there had been some concerns about his biodata, however the University of Calicut verified in October 2019 that there was nothing negative about Kurup, as per the request.
However, in July 2020, the ministry cancelled the entire process and solicited new applications for the position, claiming that the previous NSD Society-prepared panel – from which Kurup’s name was suggested – had lapsed due to the expiration of a one-year timeframe. In his ruling, Justice Singh stated that the government has provided no explanation as to why it waited two months to transmit the proposal despite being aware of the deadlines and the court order. The court also stated that when Sharma was nominated for the position, the ministry proceeded “with remarkable speed and timeliness.”
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The court also stated that there was definitely a delay in reviewing the complaints, and that instead of informing the ACC immediately after getting clarity regarding Kurup, the ministry opted to wait and let the one-year term pass. The legitimacy of the panel would not have hampered Kurup’s selection for the job if the ministry had done the necessary measures with care and followed the court’s instructions, it stated. Although the government may be accurate that a panel’s life is one year and that if no selection is made, the panel expires, Justice Singh stated that the court cannot be a party to the ministry’s wrongdoings.
