Who is this IFS officer, whose case 14 judges refused to hear, what is the whole matter?
Sanjiv Chaturvedi is a 2002 batch IFS officer who belongs to Uttarakhand cadre. Born on December 21, 1974, he did his early education from Uttar Pradesh. After this, he completed his graduation in Electrical Engineering from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), Prayagraj in 1995. But he wanted to serve the country and for this he chose the path of civil services.
Sanjiv Chaturvedi joined the civil services in 2002 as IFS. After becoming an IFS officer, Sanjeev was sent to Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun for two years of training. Here he was given training in forest management, wildlife conservation, and administration. After selection in 2002, he first got Haryana cadre where he worked from 2005 to 2012. Later he was transferred to Uttarakhand cadre where he is posted as Chief Conservator of Forest (Research) Haldwani.
12 transfers in 7 years
IFS Sanjeev Chaturvedi was in news a lot during his tenure. He was transferred 12 times in 7 years in Haryana. In Haryana, he exposed the misuse of funds and irregularities in the tree planting scheme in Hisar and Jhajjar. After this, the state government kept him away from posting for months. Then he was sent to a non-cadre post and was once again given a charge sheet, but the central government intervened twice and overturned the state's decisions. He was transferred 12 times in 7 years, yet he remained adamant on the demand for a CBI inquiry. He has fought fiercely against corruption during his job. Especially during 2012-16, he exposed more than 200 cases of corruption in AIIMS, for which he also received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2015. However, all this was not easy. Sanjeev had to face transfer, suspension and now a court case.
What is this new controversy?
The most recent case is from November 2023, when Sanjeev filed a criminal defamation case against CAT judge Manish Garg. He alleged that on October 16, 2023, Judge Garg used abusive language against him in the court. Now the 14th judge hearing this case, ACJM Justice Neha Kushwaha of Nainital, has also recused herself from this case.
Why are judges stepping down?
Since 2013, 14 judges have recused themselves from this case. Supreme Court Justices Ranjan Gogoi (2013) and UU Lalit (2016) also distanced themselves from Sanjeev's petition demanding a CBI inquiry. In 2018, a Shimla court judge also recused himself from a defamation case in which Himachal Chief Secretary Vineet Chaudhary had sued Sanjeev. In 2019, CAT Chairman Justice Narasimhan Reddy stepped down citing unwanted developments. Recently in February 2025, CAT judges Harvinder Kaur Oberoi and B Anand also stepped down without giving any reason.
What is the court's stance?
In 2018, the Uttarakhand High Court ordered that Sanjeev's service cases be heard only in the Nainital bench and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the central government, which was also accepted by the Supreme Court. In 2021, the High Court reiterated this but the Center challenged it in the Supreme Court, which is pending in a larger bench since March 2023.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Delhi HC quashes proceedings against ex-Canara Bank executive director accused of graft in 2018
The Delhi High Court quashed criminal proceedings initiated by CBI against a former executive director of Canara Bank accused of allegedly causing loss to the bank by sanctioning a loan proposal, and reiterated that the absence of specific incriminating evidence in collective institutional decision-making processes can't be 'construed as constituting criminal misconduct.' Ashok Kumar Gupta, who retired as executive director of the bank in 2014, was arraigned as an accused for the first time in a chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2018 in relation to a case where a jewellery trading company, Occasion Silver Private Limited (OSPL) allegedly fraudulently obtained Rs 68 crore from the bank as loan in 2013 by misrepresenting its books, along with allegations of oversight by the bank's officials. While Gupta was not named as an accused in the CBI FIR lodged in January 2016, the agency had filed a chargesheet in 2018 against nine people for criminal conspiracy, cheating, as well as for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. CBI said Gupta was implicated as an accused as he was part of the Executive Director-Credit Approval Committee (ED-CAC), which sanctioned the proposal for the loan. Justice Amit Mahajan, discharging Gupta, in an order dated August 14, noted the absence of prima facie or specific evidence against him of gaining pecuniary advantage from the decision of sanctioning the loan. The court also held that continuing the proceedings against him 'would serve no useful purpose and would subject the petitioner to unwarranted harassment'. The order was made public Wednesday. Gupta was represented by Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa and Advocate Sumer Boparai, The court observed that the 'allegations are vague, unsupported by material evidence, and based on conjectures arising out of collective institutional decision-making', and noted that while the sanction for loan was made collectively by ED-CAC, which was a nine-membered committee, 'not all members of the ED-CAC, nor all Directors of the Board, have been proceeded against.' The court also took into consideration that the decision to sanction the loan to the company was taken after the proposal had passed through several levels of scrutiny within the Bank. Relying on judicial precedents set by the Supreme Court, Justice Mahajan held that Gupta, who was only one among several members collectively sanctioning the proposal, 'cannot be singled out along with a few others and burdened with criminal liability.'
Hans India
13 minutes ago
- Hans India
TDP MLA Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy gets threatening letter demanding money
Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and representative for Kovur, has reportedly received a threatening letter demanding a sum of Rs. 2 crores, with a warning of fatal consequences if her demands are not met. According to reports, a masked individual visited the residence of Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, delivering a letter to the security personnel before swiftly departing. Upon inspection by the office staff, the letter revealed a chilling demand: a ransom of Rs 2 crore, with the threat of death should the demand not be met. In response, the staff immediately alerted both the MP and MLA, leading to a prompt complaint being lodged with local police. Authorities maintained confidentiality regarding the investigation, which culminated in the identification and detention of a suspect from Iskapalem in Allur mandal. Additionally, police apprehended another young man, who was behaving suspiciously near Vemireddy's residence. He was found in possession of four mobile phones and provided inconsistent answers during questioning. The investigation is ongoing.
New Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Pay Rs 25,000 each to students served dog-soiled mid-day meal: High Court to Chhattisgarh government
BILASPUR: The Chhattisgarh High Court has directed the state government to pay within a month Rs 25,000 each to 84 students who consumed mid-day meals soiled by a dog at a middle school in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district last month. A division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru, in an order delivered on Tuesday, highlighted negligence on the part of the government in the episode and expressed hope that the authorities would be more vigilant and careful in providing mid-day meals to students. While awarding the compensation to the pupils, the bench did not take into account the state's argument that the affected students of the government school were administered three doses of anti-rabies vaccine and were found to be fit after a subsequent health check-up. The HC gave the ruling after taking suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the matter as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and sought an affidavit from the state government. According to an inquiry report submitted by the government in the HC, the incident took place on July 28 at the government middle school located in Lachchhanpur village in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district. The report, citing statements of the students, said a dog soiled the food distributed under the mid-day meal scheme. A self-help group (SHG) used to prepare food items served to students under the scheme at the school. The students alerted teachers, who advised SHG members not to distribute the dog-soiled food, but their directive was ignored. Despite a complaint to the school headmaster, soiled eatables were not removed from the meal and subsequently consumed by the students, it said.
