New Delhi, Nov 23 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government and others to respond to a plea challenging the extension of the tenure of Dr Nimesh G. Desai as the chief of the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences for another year.

A division bench presided over by Chief Justice D. N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Delhi government and other respondents seeking their response and posted the matter for further hearing on December 23.

Earlier, the petition filed by Tej Bahadur Singh had claimed that the respondents herein have been acting in a most vulnerable and illegal manner causing serious prejudice to the public at large and the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences.

Petitioner's counsel Adv Vijay Kumar sought to stay the October 14 resolution of the Executive Council (EC) taken in the 58th Meeting of the Executive Council of IHBAS, whereby the Council approved the extension of the tenure of the current Director for another year beyond October 18, 2021, till he attains the age of 67 years by scrapping the ongoing process for the selection of new Director by way of Screening Committee till March 2022.

The decision is contrary to the affidavits filed by the respondents and the order dated September 23, 2021, passed by this Court, the petition contended.

The plea also alleged that respondents have clearly misled the Court while seeking the time for the appointment of a new Director, due to which the merits of the petition have not been adjudged by the Court for deciding the issue finally.

It is submitted that the order dated October 14 is not justified and even leads to the contempt of the Court.

Further, the petitioner has sought to stay the operation and effect of the decision taken in the 58th Meeting of the Executive Council and to issue directions to the respondents, to complete the selection process for the post of Director IHBAS forthwith as mentioned in the order dated September 23.