The entire process has become embroiled in controversy with top officials of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) clearly pushing forth Amitabh Kumar's candidature for the post of the CMD. Informed sources say that a top official of the DoT has written letters to the Cabinet Secretary as well as to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) asking for Amitabh Kumar's name in the list for the interview.

What is causing the maximum heartburn amongst candidates scheduled to appear for the interviews is the fact that a top official in the DoT, who is also expected to beon the panel of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) as a representative of the DoT, is related to Amitabh Kumar and is learnt to be keenly pushing his case.

Amitabh Kumar was made the acting CMD of VSNL in July last year when its former CMD B K Syngal retired. However, in November and December last year, three other directors were appointed on VSNL's board who were senior to Amitabh Kumar. These directors were in the schedule B category and were supposed to report to Amitabh Kumar who was a schedule C officer.

At that time these directors were pacified on the grounds that VSNL was going in for a GDR issue and after the issue was over, a new appointment would be finalised. However, in February after the GDR issue was closed no attempt was made to change the CMD. Instead, the DoT has allowed him to continue in his present capacity even though this is against government rules which requires the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) to ratify any extension beyond three months for the actingCMD of a PSU. There has been no such clearance from the ACC.

Not only this, in April, expecting opposition from the other senior directors in VSNL, The DoT gave them a written order that they were not required to report to Amitabh Kumar and that he would not prepare their Annual Confidential Report (ACR) which would be done by an official in the DoT itself.

In the meantime, Amitabh Kumar was promoted to the schedule B grade as late as May 7, with top DoT officials pushing his case for vigilance clearance. However, since the PSEB norms demanded that candidates falling in schedule B as on November 3 would only be eligible for the interview, Amitabh Kumar failed to make to the shortlist.