The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which adjudicates service matters of government employees, has sought the Centre and Uttarakhand government’s response to a plea of whistleblower bureaucrat Sanjiv Chaturvedi seeking deputation in the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal.
Chaturvedi, a 2002 batch Indian Forest Service officer of Uttarakhand cadre, had approached the CAT seeking direction for
Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) “to pass appropriate
orders” on a No Objection Certificate (NOC) given by Uttarakhand state government in December 2019, allowing him to join the Lokpal. He is, at present, posted as Chief Conservator of Forest (Research) at Haldwani, Uttarakhand.
“Let counter reply on behalf of both the respondents (MoEFCC and Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand government) be filed within six weeks. Applicant is directed to file his rejoinder within two weeks thereafter,” according to the order issued on Tuesday by CAT’s Allahabad Bench.
In his application filed before the tribunal in February this year
, Chaturvedi had also sought interim relief as direction for the respondents to maintain status quo in respect of the NOC granted to him by the state government for joining the ombudsman “till
the disposal of the instant case”.
“Both the counsels are also directed to file their objection separately on the request of interim relief within three weeks,” said the divisional bench of Justice Bharat Bhushan (Judicial
member) and Devendra Chaudhary (Administrative member).