The Uttarakhand High Court has directed Principal Secretary Meenakshi Sundaram to appear through video conferencing on March 19 after finding that its earlier order quashing the appointment of the Managing Director of the Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (PTCUL) had not been implemented.
The direction was issued by a single bench of Justice Alok Kumar Verma while hearing a contempt petition filed by Dehradun resident Anil Baluni and others.
On February 18, 2026, the High Court had set aside the appointment of Prakash Chandra Dhyani as the Managing Director of PTCUL. The court held that the appointment did not comply with the Uttarakhand Managing Director and Directors Selection and Appointment Procedure Rules, 2021.
Following that ruling, the state government was asked to reconsider the appointment strictly in accordance with the 2021 Rules. However, the petitioners alleged that no steps were taken to implement the court’s directions, prompting the contempt proceedings.
In its February judgment, the High Court had found that the appointment violated Rule 9-A of the 2021 Rules, which requires a candidate for the post of Managing Director to possess an engineering degree.
The bench noted that Dhyani did not hold the prescribed qualification and therefore the appointment could not be sustained under the statutory framework.
While quashing the appointment, the court had clarified that the state government was free to reconsider the matter. However, any fresh decision must strictly follow the 2021 Rules.
The bench had also observed that if the government chose to grant any exemption under the Rules, it would have to clearly explain how the candidate’s qualifications were being treated as equivalent to the required standards.
With the earlier directions remaining unimplemented, the court has now sought the personal virtual appearance of the Principal Secretary to explain the non-compliance. The matter is scheduled to be taken up on March 19.
