Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 27: Seventeen judicial officers, including two Supreme Court judges, four judges of the Uttarakhand High Court, nine Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) judges and two judges from the district judiciary, have recused themselves from cases involving Uttarakhand-cadre Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi over the years.

The latest to recuse himself was CAT Delhi Bench judge Rajveer Singh Verma, who withdrew from hearing Chaturvedi's petition on September 21. The petition challenges a November 2021 Uttarakhand government order concerning the Appraisal Report Channel of IFS officers.

The September 21 order stated that after hearing the matter for some time, Verma, Member (J), recused himself from hearing the case. The Registry was directed to list the matter before the appropriate Bench.

The latest recusal follows several instances in which judges and judicial officers have withdrawn from cases involving Chaturvedi under different circumstances.

In September and October 2025, Uttarakhand High Court judges Justice Alok Verma and Justice Ravindra Maithani recused themselves from hearing a contempt petition filed by Chaturvedi against CAT members and the Registry. The petition alleged wilful disobedience of a High Court stay order.

In February 2024, Justice Manoj Tiwari recused himself from Chaturvedi's case seeking documents from the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) concerning his central deputation.

The recusal of judicial officers in cases involving Chaturvedi dates back to November 2013, when then Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjan Gogoi recused himself from hearing a petition seeking a CBI investigation into allegations of corruption and harassment raised by the IFS officer.

In August 2016, then Supreme Court judge Justice U U Lalit also recused himself from the case.