Airport Authority Of India vs Rajiv Ratan Pandey & Ors

The Supreme Court held that the allegations of mala fides regarding the transfer order of Rajeev Ratan Pandey from Lucknow to Calicut were an afterthought, as they were introduced only in a supplementary affidavit filed after the initial writ petition. The Court emphasized that allegations of mala fides must be substantiated with convincing evidence and cannot be based on conjecture. The Court set aside the High Court's ad-interim order staying the transfer, thereby upholding the transfer order dated May 15, 2009, as valid and lawful under the principles established in State of U.P. v. Gobardhan Lal.