17 judges have recused themselves from hearing IFS officer's cases
What's the story
Seventeen judicial officers, including two Supreme Court judges, four Uttarakhand High Court judges, nine Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) judges, and two district judiciary judges, have recused themselves from cases involving Uttarakhand-cadre Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi. The most recent recusal was by CAT Delhi bench judge Rajveer Singh Verma on September 21. He withdrew from hearing Chaturvedi's petition against a November 2021 Uttarakhand government order on the Appraisal Report Channel of IFS officers.
Historical context
Recusals by SC judges
The trend of judicial officers recusing themselves from Chaturvedi's cases dates back to November 2013.
Then, Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjan Gogoi had recused himself from a case seeking a CBI investigation into allegations of corruption and harassment raised by Chaturvedi.
In August 2016, another Supreme Court judge, Justice UU Lalit, also recused himself from the case.
Recent developments
Recusals by Uttarakhand High Court judges
In September-October 2025, Uttarakhand High Court Justices Alok Verma and Ravindra Maithani recused themselves from hearing a contempt case filed by Chaturvedi against CAT members and the Registry over alleged willful disobedience of a high court stay order.
In February 2024, Justice Manoj Tiwari also recused himself from Chaturvedi's case seeking documents from the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet concerning his central deputation.