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.
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