Govt considers 'merit' over 'recommendation' for appointments, says Home Min Rajnath Singh

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday dismissed as "baseless" the charge that top positions at eminent institutions are going to RSS members, saying that all such posts are filled on the basis of "merit" and not "recommendations".

"I think the charge is absolutely baseless. I would have been in a better position to answer this accusation had someone come up with an instance... All these selections are done on the basis of merit, not on recommendations," Singh said during an interview at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here.

He was asked about his views on the accusation that top positions like those of Vice Chancellors are being filled from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadre.

Asked about his thoughts on the Supreme Court judges reaching out to the media for the first time in the history of the country, he said: "Whatever happened in the matter of the Supreme Court, not a single comment came from the side of the ruling party... For now, the situation is normalised."

He also said: "We have all taken precaution that dignity of the institutions is not lowered down. In a democracy, if its institutions are weakened, then, I believe, the democracy is also weakened. We have tried to maintain the integrity and trustworthiness of these institutions."

(With inputs from agencies.)