Yet another judge recuses in IFS officer Chaturvedi’s case, tally at 17

DEHRADUN: A judicial member of Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) Delhi bench has recused himself from hearing a petition filed by Uttarakhand-cadre IFS officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, taking the number of judges who have withdrawn from cases involving the officer to 17 across Supreme Court, Uttarakhand high court, CAT and district judiciary.The latest recusal came from Justice Rajveer Singh Verma while hearing Chaturvedi’s challenge to a Nov 2021 Uttarakhand govt order concerning the channel for appraisal reports of IFS officers. The matter was being considered in light of a SC ruling delivered in May 2025.In its Sept 21 order, the CAT bench recorded, “After hearing the matter for some time, Rajveer Singh Verma, member (J), recuses himself from hearing this matter.” The order did not specify a reason for the recusal, as has also been the case with several earlier recusals in matters involving Chaturvedi.The 17 judges who have recused themselves over the years include two SC judges, four Uttarakhand HC judges, nine CAT judges, including a former CAT chairperson, and two district judiciary judges. Most of the 17 recusal orders did not record specific reasons for judges withdrawing from the cases.The most recent high court recusals came in Sept and Oct 2025, when Justice Alok Verma and Justice Ravindra Maithani withdrew from hearing a contempt petition filed by Chaturvedi against CAT members and tribunal registry. The petition alleged wilful disobedience of a stay order passed by high court.In Feb 2024, Justice Manoj Tiwari recused from a case concerning the summoning of documents from appointments committee of the cabinet relating to Chaturvedi’s central deputation. Justice Rakesh Thapliyal had recused in May 2023 from another matter concerning records linked to anti-corruption investigations conducted by Chaturvedi during his tenure as chief vigilance officer at AIIMS, Delhi.CAT has seen a series of recusals as well. In Feb 2025, a bench comprising Harvinder Oberai and B Anand withdrew from a case concerning the alleged downgrading of Chaturvedi’s appraisal report by then Union health minister JP Nadda. The bench also directed that Chaturvedi’s cases should not be listed before it in future.Earlier CAT recusals included then chairperson Justice L Narasimhan Reddy in 2019, Justice RN Singh in 2021, and a bench comprising Manish Garg and Chhabilendra Roul in 2023. Justice Rajeev Joshi recused from a matter involving Chaturvedi in Jan 2025 .The sequence dates back to Nov 2013, when then SC judge Justice Ranjan Gogoi recused from Chaturvedi’s petition seeking a CBI probe into alleged corruption and harassment during his Haryana tenure. Justice UU Lalit subsequently recused from the same matter in Aug 2016.Stay updated with the latest Dehradun news. Download the TOI App.