Register · No. 36
Sanjiv Chaturvedi
Indian Forest Service (IFS), Haryana, then Uttarakhand (from 2015) cadre, 2002 batch, Serving 2015
12transfers, as of Oct 2012. 7 on the ribbon below, 5 of them documented.
- Documented
- One report
- Years with no move on record
Summary
Sanjiv Chaturvedi, a 2002-batch Indian Forest Service officer, had 12 posting orders in five years in Haryana (2007–2012) after acting against a canal through a wildlife sanctuary, a herbal park on a Congress politician's land and fake-plantation schemes. He was suspended and chargesheeted in 2007; the Centre revoked the suspension and the President later quashed the chargesheet, finding he had been charged for implementing Supreme Court orders. In 2014 he was removed as AIIMS Chief Vigilance Officer; the Health Minister said he lacked CVC approval, while The Indian Express reported that J. P. Nadda had sought his removal. Haryana gave no reasons for most of his moves.
'12 transfers in five years' in Haryana, as cited in his Oct 2012 cadre-change application (TOI). TOI also writes 12 in his '13-year career'. Counts Haryana only; the CAT and a two-member MoEF committee accepted his account of 'extreme hardship'.
On the record
He was not at all eligible for the post that he was holding at AIIMS.
it's a routine thing, don't make this such a big issue
The moves, and what came of them
Oldest first. Each fold is marked by how well the record holds it.
Documented
Divisional Forest Officer, KurukshetraDivisional Forest Officer, Fatehabad
In Kurukshetra Chaturvedi tried to stop construction of the Hansi–Butana canal through the Saraswati Wildlife Sanctuary, along with poaching and illegal felling; he said irrigation-department contractors were building it without statutory clearance, against Supreme Court orders. He was transferred to Fatehabad on 30 May 2007.
- Up against
- Haryana Irrigation Department contractors; state government, Indian National Congress (state government) Government: Congress (Bhupinder Singh Hooda, CM).
- Reported reason
- Rediff (written from Chaturvedi's side) presents the transfer as following his action against the canal work. Wikipedia says the contractors were associates of the CM; that claim was not found in a fetched news source.
- The other side said
- No government reason found.
- Outcome
- Wikipedia reports that the Supreme Court's Central Empowered Committee later upheld the charges and fined the Haryana government Rs 1 crore (primary source not fetched).
Documented
Divisional Forest Officer, FatehabadSuspended
In Fatehabad he stopped public money being spent on a 'herbal park' on the private land of Congress politician Prahlad Singh Gillakhera, later Chief Parliamentary Secretary. He was suspended on 3 August 2007 with no reason given in the order, and on 14 September 2007 was chargesheeted for dismissal, the chargesheet calling him a 'person of a dubious character'.
- Up against
- Prahlad Singh Gillakhera; Kiran Choudhry, Congress MLA and later Chief Parliamentary Secretary; Forest Minister of Haryana, Indian National Congress Government: Congress (Bhupinder Singh Hooda, CM).
- Reported reason
- Rediff reports Gillakhera was said to be close to Forest Minister Kiran Choudhry (allegation). Wikipedia cites a July 2007 letter from the state's chief forest officer saying the minister was 'annoyed' that the park work had stopped (letter not seen directly).
- The officer said
- Chaturvedi alleged he was named in 'concocted cases', including theft of a Kachnar tree and abetment of suicide (per Rediff).
- The other side said
- The suspension order cited no reason. The chargesheet sought his dismissal.
- Outcome
- The Government of India revoked the suspension on 3 January 2008 'with severe strictures'. On 9 January 2011 the President quashed the chargesheet on the report of a two-member MoEF committee, which found his allegations 'true', recommended a CBI inquiry and observed he had been chargesheeted 'for implementing the orders of Supreme Court' (Rediff). On a state information commission's order, the principal secretary (forest) paid him compensation and conceded in writing that he was 'framed wrongly in a charge-sheet'. Separately, police SITs cleared him of abetting the 2009 suicide of a forest range officer; the High Court recalled an order for a fresh SIT in April 2015 (Wikipedia).
the officer appeared to have been charge sheeted for implementing the orders of Hon'ble Supreme Court and upholding the law, which is not justified, and the charge sheet had been kept pending by the state government deliberately for more than three years thereby blocking his prospects of promotion, deputation, study leave etc.
Order Same Presidential order, on the State Information Commission finding, Jan 2011
the Government of Haryana had admitted before the State Information Commission in April 2009 that the charges were inserted incorrectly and as a result had been severely criticised by the State Information Commission for the harassment caused to the officer and ordered to pay compensation of Rs. 10,000/ to Shri Chaturvedi.
Order Presidential order revoking suspension (3 Jan 2008), as summarised by the CIC, Jan 2008
as there was no response from Haryana, President considered material filed by Sanjiv Chaturvedi and revoked suspension order dated 3.8.2007.
Order Third Presidential order quashing a later chargesheet (dated 21.08.2012), as reproduced by the CIC, Oct 2013
none of the charges contained in the charge sheet served upon him … is sustainable and the charge sheet deserves to be revoked/quashed. Inquiry ordered against him was also quashed.
Order Fourth Presidential order on his appraisals (31.1.2014), as reproduced by the CIC, Jan 2014
All remarks including adverse remarks recorded by Accepting Authority and grading were expunged in totality with immediate effect.
Rediff.com, Jun 2012 · The Indian Express, Aug 2015 · Central Information Commission order (via ISTM)
One report
Divisional Forest Officer, JhajjarHisar
Posted to Jhajjar in January 2009 after the Central Administrative Tribunal stayed a non-cadre posting, he exposed a fake-plantation scheme: 40 staff were chargesheeted and 10 suspended, and he pressed for a vigilance probe. The Chief Minister's Office then moved him to Hisar by an officer-specific written direction.
- Up against
- Office of the Chief Minister of Haryana, Indian National Congress Government: Congress (Bhupinder Singh Hooda, CM).
- Reported reason
- Rediff alleges the transfer was meant to 'soft-pedal the inquiry'.
- The other side said
- No government reason found.
Documented
Hisar(post declared vacant)
In Hisar he found another plantation scam and in January 2010 sealed a plywood unit that had paid Rs 26,000 instead of Rs 22 lakh as licence fee. While he was abroad on 18 days of official training, the CM's Office declared his post vacant. Rediff counts 12 posting orders in five years.
- Up against
- Office of the Chief Minister of Haryana, Indian National Congress Government: Congress (Bhupinder Singh Hooda, CM).
- Reported reason
- Reported as following the plywood-unit action (Rediff, Wikipedia). Rediff dates the training to March 2010; Wikipedia and officers.json say May 2010. Date uncertain.
- The other side said
- No government reason found.
- Outcome
- The CVC issued an advisory for his protection (13 Jul 2011); the CBI found the case fit for investigation (Nov 2011); Haryana declined to notify a CBI probe, and his Supreme Court petition for one was pending for years (Rediff, Wikipedia). The President also reversed the state's downgrading of his appraisal (Business Standard/PTI headline, Feb 2014; page blocked).
- What became of the matter
- CBI probe never notified; Supreme Court petition pending since 2012. Haryana did not issue the notification needed for a CBI probe into the forest scams Chaturvedi reported. His writ petition (W.P.(Crl.) 148/2012, Sanjiv Chaturvedi v. Union of India, CBI and State of Haryana) was still listed in January 2026; the office report records the last listing on 14 May 2025 as 'Not taken up' and Haryana counter-affidavits filed as late as October 2024. Supreme Court of India office report, Jan 2026 The Wire
Judgment Supreme Court office report, W.P.(Crl.) No. 148/2012, Sanjiv Chaturvedi v. Union of India & Ors, Jan 2026
This matter was lastly listed on 14-05-2025 and the Hon'ble Court was pleased to pass the following order: 'Not taken up. List on 24 th September, 2025.'
Documented
Haryana Forest DepartmentDeputy Secretary and Chief Vigilance Officer, AIIMS New Delhi
The Centre selected him for AIIMS in March–May 2012, but the Hooda government did not relieve him despite repeated reminders; the Environment Ministry released him on 29 June 2012 over the state's objection. Indian Express notes he joined after being 'transferred 12 times in five years by his home cadre'.
- Up against
- Government of Haryana, Indian National Congress Government: Congress (Bhupinder Singh Hooda, CM).
- Reported reason
- Rediff alleges the state feared he 'may speak out' once he left.
- The other side said
- No official reason reported for not relieving him.
Documented
Chief Vigilance Officer, AIIMS New DelhiDeputy Secretary, AIIMS (CVO charge removed)
As CVO, Chaturvedi opened about 200 corruption cases, some referred to the CBI (Wikipedia). Two years into a four-year tenure due to end June 2016, he was removed and the charge given to the Health Ministry's CVO. Wikipedia reports that his cases included one against Himachal IAS officer Vineet Chaudhary, a former AIIMS deputy director.
- Up against
- J. P. Nadda, BJP MP (Rajya Sabha); Union Health Minister from Nov 2014, Bharatiya Janata Party Government: BJP (Narendra Modi, PM); Harsh Vardhan, Health Minister.
- Reported reason
- The Indian Express reported that 'Health Minister Nadda had sought AIIMS CVO's ouster on same grounds' (lack of CVC approval). Wikipedia, citing media reports, says Nadda wrote four letters between May 2013 and June 2014 seeking his removal and that the media and AAP alleged he acted on behalf of Vineet Chaudhary; those letters were not seen directly.
- The officer said
- In a 16 August 2014 letter to Harsh Vardhan he said his removal was the result of a campaign by corrupt officials (per Wikipedia; letter not fetched).
- The other side said
- Health Minister Harsh Vardhan: 'He was not at all eligible for the post that he was holding at AIIMS. We were informed that without the approval of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), nobody can be assigned the post of CVO anywhere… we removed him from the post.' Also: 'it's a routine thing, don't make this such a big issue.' HT noted a 23 May 2014 ministry file noting that all statutory requirements for the post had been completed.
- Outcome
- Wikipedia reports the CAT later stopped the ministry from revising his appraisal and he was promoted retroactively; a PIL by Prashant Bhushan in the Delhi High Court sought a CBI probe of his cases (not independently fetched).
- What became of the matter
- Several cases closed. Per RTI documents obtained by Chaturvedi and reported by The Indian Express (2017), the CBI recommended departmental action in four AIIMS cases that the CVC later closed: an infrastructure case naming B. S. Anand and Vineet Chaudhary was closed in July 2016 on the recommendation of the Minister of State for Health; a disinfectants case involving then-director M. C. Mishra was closed on the health ministry's recommendation; a purchases case was closed in February 2015. The CVC said each report 'was examined in each case and taken to its logical conclusion at the appropriate level.' Closure is not a finding of guilt or innocence. Earlier, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health's 87th report (August 2015) called the ministry 'non-serious in tackling corruption at AIIMS'. The Indian Express, Nov 2017 The Indian Express, Aug 2015
RTI reply Health ministry file noting of 23 May 2014 by Joint Secretary/CVO Vishwas Mehta (quoted by Hindustan Times), May 2014
All the statutory requirements in the creation and appointment to the post of Chief Vigilance Officer have already been completed and therefore the matter should be closed itself.
Parliament record Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, 87th Report (chair Satish Chandra Misra), as reported, Aug 2015
non-serious in tackling corruption at AIIMS (as reported by The Indian Express)
India Today, Aug 2014 · Hindustan Times, Aug 2014 · The Indian Express, Nov 2014 · The Indian Express, Aug 2014
One report
Haryana cadre (on deputation at AIIMS)Uttarakhand cadre
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared his move from the Haryana to the Uttarakhand cadre days after he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award. He had asked for the change citing hardship, including frequent transfers, a suspension and false cases.
- Outcome
- Later posted as Chief Conservator of Forests (Research), Haldwani (Wikipedia).