Magsaysay award winner Sanjiv Chaturvedi cadre transfer wait ends after 3 years

• Transfer from Haryana cadre to Uttarakhand cadre took 3 years
• Involved in exposing several scams

Indian Forests Services officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi came out triumphant after a three-year battle with the state, as the Appointments Committee of Cabinet approved his inter-cadre deputation from Haryana to Uttarakhand. The ACC, controlled by the PMO, had previously worked against this deputation, sending Chaturvedi’s application back to square one, in the beginning of 2015, until it was hauled up by the Central Administrative Tribunal.

Chaturvedi, a career whistleblower, and recent Magsaysay award winner, filed his application in 2012, after facing much harassment from the Haryana government, given his penchant for exposing major scams involving big money, politicians and high level officers, such as in Hisar and Jhajjar districts.

Chaturvedi had been given relief in May by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on his plea against the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) order to get fresh no-objection certificate for his cadre change from both Haryana and Uttarakhand governments.
An order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said that the ACC has approved the proposal of inter cadre transfer of Chaturvedi, a 2002 batch Indian Forest Service officer, from Haryana to Uttarakhand.
Chaturvedi, who was posted at AIIMS as deputy secretary, claimed he was not assigned any work. He had in October 2012 applied for cadre change on grounds of extreme hardship. As per rules, cadre transfer is allowed only on grounds of extreme hardship and marriage. He had cited 12 transfers in five years, suspension, two major penalty chargesheets issued for removal from service, false police and vigilance cases, spoiling of Annual Confidential Report (ACR) and refusal of state government for central deputation in AIIMS as instances of extreme hardship.

Though Chaturvedi got all the necessary clearances and no objection certificates by the Haryana and the Uttarakhand state governments, the ACC, in January 2015, sent the application back to the MOEF for fresh NOCs. This, despite Chaturvedi following all the due processes.

The CAT took note and, in May, quashed the ACC’s order, giving the NDA government two months to decide the case. On 10 August, Chaturvedi issued a contempt notice as no action had been taken on the CAT’s order and on 12 August, the ACC passed an order for his cadre change.