Uttarakhand: Fourteenth judge recuses from hearing case involving whistleblower IFS officer

Nainital: A magisterial court has refused from hearing a criminal defamation case filed by Indian Forest Service officer Sanjeev Chaturvedi against Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) judge Manish Garg.

Additional chief judicial magistrate Neha Kushwaha recused herself from hearing Chaturvedi's case in which he accused Garg of using foul language against him during open court proceedings in 2023.

With Kushwaha, the tally of judges who have recused from cases in which Chaturvedi was a party stands at 14.

Referring to an order for a suo motu contempt petition against Chaturvedi passed by member (judicial) of CAT principal bench, New Delhi D S Mahra, Kushwaha pointed to her family relations with Mahara.

"In a situation like this, it would not be legally appropriate for the undersigned to hear the present case," she said and sought its transfer from her court.

So far, two judges of the Supreme Court, two judges of the Nainital High Court, CAT chairperson, a judge of a subordinate court in Shimla and seven CAT judges of Delhi and Allahabad bench have recused themselves from Chaturvedi's cases.

According to Chaturvedi, this is a unique record in the country in which 14 judges recused themselves from hearing a person’s case.

Chaturvedi enjoys the reputation of a whistleblower officer who uncovered the Haryana forestry case and blew the lid off various scams in the health sector during his stint as the chief vigilance officer, AIIMS, New Delhi.