Sanjiv Chaturvedi is an uttarakhand cadre IFS officer from the 2002 batch. He was born on december 21, 1974, and completed his early schooling in Uttar Pradesh. He then went on to earn his degree in Electrical Engineering from Prayagraj's Motilal Nehru National Institute of technology (MNNIT) in 1995. However, he decided to pursue a career in civil services because he wanted to serve his country.

In 2002, Sanjiv Chaturvedi became an IFS and entered the civil service. sanjeev received two years of training at the indira gandhi National Forest Academy in dehradun after being promoted to IFS officer.  Here, he received instruction in administration, wildlife conservation, and forest management.  He was first appointed a haryana cadre after being selected in 2002, and he served there from 2005 to 2012.  He was thereafter sent to the uttarakhand cadre, where he currently serves as Haldwani's Chief Conservator of Forest (Research).

12 transfers in 7 years
During his tenure, IFS sanjeev Chaturvedi made headlines.  In seven years, he had twelve transfers in Haryana.  He revealed financial mismanagement and anomalies in the tree-planting program in hisar and Jhajjar, Haryana.  Following this, he was prohibited from posting for months by the state government.  After that, he was transferred to a non-cadere position and given a charge sheet once more; however, the central government stepped in twice and overruled the state's rulings.  Despite being transferred twelve times in seven years, he persisted in demanding a cbi investigation.

Throughout his career, he has fought tenaciously against corruption.  He revealed almost 200 instances of corruption at AIIMS, particularly between 2012 and 2016, for which he was also honored with the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2015.  All of this was not simple, though.  Sanjeev was suspended, transferred, and is currently facing legal action.

What's the latest controversy about?
 
The most recent instance dates back to november 2023, when sanjeev sued CAT judge manish Garg for criminal defamation.  He claimed that Judge Garg used derogatory language against him in court on october 16, 2023.  ACJM Justice Neha Kushwaha of nainital, the fourteenth judge hearing this matter, has now also withdrawn her involvement.

Why are judges stepping down?

Fourteen judges have recused themselves from this case since 2013. Justices ranjan gogoi (2013) and UU Lalit (2016) of the supreme court also disassociated themselves from Sanjeev's petition calling for a cbi investigation.  In 2018, Himachal Chief Secretary Vineet Chaudhary sued sanjeev for defamation, and a judge in shimla court also recused himself from the case.  Justice Narasimhan Reddy, the CAT Chairman, resigned in 2019 due to unfavorable circumstances.  Harvinder Kaur Oberoi and B Anand, two CAT judges, recently resigned without providing an explanation in february 2025.

What is the position of the court?
 
The supreme court agreed with the uttarakhand High Court's 2018 ruling that Sanjeev's service complaints could only be considered by the nainital bench and that the central government should pay a fine of Rs 25,000.  The Center contested this in the supreme court after the high court reaffirmed it in 2021; the case has been ongoing in a larger bench since march 2023.

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SIBY JEYYA

03/07/2025 06:00 AM