In the case of Independent School Federation of India & Anr v The Union of India & Ors, the Delhi High Court recently rejected a plea challenging the appointment of Nidhi Chibber as Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Justice Chandra Dhari Singh dismissed the plea, affirming that Chibber met the necessary criteria for the position.
The court ruled, “In the instant case, this Court is not inclined to issue a writ of Quo Warranto, as no prima facie case is made out by learned counsel for the petitioner and the respondent no. 3 (Chibber) has the qualification to be appointed as the Chairperson, Central Board of Secondary Education. In view of the foregoing discussion, this Court is of the view that the instant writ petition filed by the petitioner is nothing but a gross misuse of the process of law. Accordingly, the instant petition, along with the pending application, stands dismissed.”
The petitioner had challenged Chibber’s appointment, alleging that it was part of a bureaucratic reshuffle and that she did not meet the minimum requirement of three years of experience in the field of education. However, Chibber’s counsel argued that she had the necessary qualifications and experience as per the vacancy circular.
Ultimately, the Court found no grounds to remove Chibber from her position. Advocate Ravi Prakash Gupta represented the Independent School Federation of India, while the Central Government was represented by Central Government Standing Counsel Manisha Agrawal Narain with Advocate Shivangi Gumber. The CBSE was represented by its Standing Counsel MA Niyazi and Advocates Anamika Ghai Niyazi, Kirti Bhardwaj, Nehmat Sethi, and Arquam Ali.