Is the Match Being Fixed? NCL CMD Selection Under Cloud After PESB Cancels Interviews and Rewrites the Shortlist

With the rescheduled interviews for the post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) set to be held tomorrow, July 08, the selection process remains under intense scrutiny. The unexplained cancellation of the original interviews, followed by a revised shortlist featuring new entrants, has raised serious questions about the transparency and integrity of one of India’s most significant PSU appointments.

Incidentally, NCL is Coal India Limited’s highest profit-earning subsidiary. The appointment of its CMD is therefore not merely an internal administrative exercise but a matter of considerable public interest, demanding the highest standards of fairness, transparency and institutional accountability.

The core issue is not merely who has been shortlisted, but why the selection process changed midway—and why PESB has offered no explanation for those changes.

The First List

PESB initially shortlisted 10 candidates, comprising senior executives from Coal India Limited, its subsidiaries, NALCO and Indian Oil Corporation. Interviews were scheduled, and the selection process appeared to be progressing normally.

Then, without assigning any reason, PESB abruptly cancelled the interviews.

There was no explanation, no revised schedule, no clarification to the candidates and no public statement. For an institution entrusted with selecting the leadership of India’s Central Public Sector Enterprises, the silence was conspicuous.

The Revised Shortlist

Days later, PESB issued a fresh notification, rescheduling the interviews for July 8, 2026. But the revised notification did more than announce a new date—it altered the shortlist.

The number of candidates increased from 10 to 12.

Most notably, Ashutosh Dwivedi, Director (Technical & Operations), Northern Coalfields Limited, who did not feature in the original shortlist, appeared in the revised list. Another new entrant, N. Franklin Jayakumar, Director (Technical), SECL, was also included.

At the same time, Anand, Executive Director (Mining/Production), Coal India Limited, and Anjani Kumar, Executive Director (Contracts), Coal India Limited, who were part of the original shortlist, no longer figured in the revised list.

Coincidence or Something More?

Highly placed sources in the coal sector allege that the selection process was reopened to facilitate the inclusion of a particular candidate.

According to these sources, influential persons allegedly intervened to ensure Ashutosh Dwivedi’s candidature was considered. Indian PSU has not independently verified these allegations, and no documentary evidence has been produced to substantiate them.

Nevertheless, the sequence of events has intensified scrutiny.

If the original shortlist was complete, why was it revised?

If additional candidates deserved consideration, why were they not included initially?

If the cancellation was purely administrative, why has PESB not explained it?

Transparency Is the Real Issue

Public sector appointments determine the leadership of strategic national assets. Their credibility depends as much on transparency as on fairness.

When interviews are cancelled without explanation and the shortlist is subsequently revised, questions are inevitable. Institutions inspire confidence through openness, not silence.

Questions Awaiting Answers

PESB owes stakeholders clarity on several issues:

• Why were the original interviews cancelled?
• Why was no reason communicated to candidates or the public?
• What necessitated the revised shortlist?
• Under which rules were additional candidates considered after the first shortlist had been issued?
• Why were candidates from the original shortlist dropped?
• Was the revised shortlist prepared through the same evaluation process?
• Did any ministry or authority seek a review of the original shortlist?
• Will PESB place the reasons for revising the shortlist in the public domain?

More Than Just One Appointment

Northern Coalfields Limited, the highest profit-earning subsidiary of Coal India Limited and one of India’s largest coal producers, plays a critical role in India’s energy security. The appointment of its CMD is therefore among the most significant leadership decisions in the coal sector.

The controversy is no longer just about who will become the next CMD. It is about the credibility of India’s premier mechanism for selecting the heads of Central Public Sector Enterprises.

If the process was entirely above board, a transparent explanation would only strengthen public confidence. Until then, the unexplained cancellation of interviews, the revised shortlist and the sudden inclusion of new names will continue to cast a shadow over a selection process that is expected to be beyond reproach.

Response Sought, But None Received

Given the serious questions surrounding the selection process, Indian PSU repeatedly approached Ashutosh Dwivedi with a detailed questionnaire seeking his response. However, despite multiple requests, no response was received before publication.

Indian PSU remains committed to fair and balanced journalism and will publish his response in full if and when it is received.

Editor's Note: Whether by coincidence or design, the events surrounding the selection of the next CMD of NCL have left the process under a cloud. In the absence of any official explanation from PESB, questions continue to mount over why the interviews were cancelled, why the shortlist was revised, and what prompted the inclusion of additional candidates.