Centre cites secrecy on 360-degree review after earlier denial

DEHRADUN: The Central Government, through the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), has executed a significant reversal regarding the controversial 360-degree appraisal system for civil servants, specifically in a case involving Uttarakhand cadre IFS officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi before the Nainital Circuit Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). In a recent affidavit filed, the DoPT stated that guidelines concerning the 360-degree appraisal—also known as Multi-Source Feedback (MSF)—fall under the purview of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). The department now claims these guidelines are “not in public domain and cannot be disclosed to the public at large,” though they may be shown to the Tribunal privately. This stance starkly contrasts with an earlier affidavit submitted to the same Tribunal in October 2023. In that filing, concerning the same officer, the DoPT had asserted that “no such system is there in Government of India and hence no records of it exist,” directly addressing Chaturvedi’s petition which sought the summoning of these appraisal records. The government’s current claim of confidentiality stands in opposition to previous disclosures. Coincidentally, the then-Secretary of DoPT provided extensive testimony before a Parliamentary Committee in 2017, detailing the initiation, execution, and attributes assessed under the 360-degree appraisal system. Furthermore, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, in its 92nd Report, had thoroughly examined the MSF system. The Committee concluded that the system was “opaque, non transparent and subjective,” warning that informal feedback mechanisms made the process susceptible to manipulation and bias, rendering it “not legally tenable.” The sequence of contradictory statements has forced the Tribunal’s hand. After the DoPT claimed in October 2023 that no records existed, the CAT ultimately ruled in May 2024 that the prayer seeking the guidelines was redundant based on the department’s unequivocal denial. However, during a subsequent hearing in May 2025 concerning Chaturvedi’s empanelment, the DoPT counsel shifted position again, citing provisions within the MSF framework to justify withholding documents related to the officer’s empanelment process. Following this assertion, the Tribunal ordered the DoPT to produce the documents relating to the appraisal guidelines. The department has now requested the Tribunal to recall its earlier order directing the placement of these guidelines on record.



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