New Delhi (21.02.2025): On the bail application of notorious mafia don late Atiq Ahmed, 10 judges of the Allahabad High Court had recused themselves from hearing the case. It was a record in the name of the mafia don. Now, a bureaucrat’s fate and perpetual date with judiciary registered 13th Judicial recusal in his case, however, it is unacceptable and unjust to compare a whistle-blower officer with a mafia don.
On February 19, while passing an order, two judges of Delhi Bench of CAT directed the Registry not to list cases of the whistle-blower officer in the future. The order did not mention as why the two CAT judges Havinder Kaur Oberoi and B Anand (Retd IAS: 1987: TN) recused themselves from the case. The Delhi CAT Bench was hearing the case related to the "Appraisal Report" of Sanjiv Chaturvedi (IFS: 2002: UD). This is 13th Judicial recusal in his case, which is a record of the sorts.
Till this date, two Supreme Court judges, two High Court Judges of Uttarakhand High Court, CAT Chairman, a trial court Judge of Shimla and seven CAT judges from Delhi and Allahabad Benches have recused themselves from his cases.
In November 2013, the then SC judge Justice Ranjan Gogoi had recused himself from hearing a case filed by him regarding CBI investigation into the role of the then CM of Haryana Bhupender Singh Hooda and other senior politicians, bureaucrats of State into various corruption cases exposed by Chaturvedi as well as his harassment. Later on, in August 2016, the then SC Judge Justice U U Lalit too recused from hearing of this case.
The story simply narrates the fate and perpetual date given to the whistle-blower officer with the judiciary. Though several senior civil servants criticize Sanjeev Chaturvedi for his extreme yet undesired approach while serving the government, though many of them praise him silently for his fighting instinct and endurance.
