Uttarakhand HC Issues Contempt Notice to DoPT Secretary Over IFS Officer's Empanelment

Uttarakhand HC Issues Contempt Notice to DoPT Secretary Over IFS Officer's Empanelment

The Uttarakhand High Court has issued a contempt of court notice to Dr. Vivek Joshi, Secretary of the Central Government's Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), for failing to comply with its order regarding the empanelment of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi.

In his petition, Chaturvedi claimed that Joshi has willfully and intentionally disregarded the Court's September 3, 2024, order, which instructed the DoPT to provide Chaturvedi with records pertaining to his empanelment process at the level of the Joint Secretary. The Ramon Magsaysay awardee stated that he informed Joshi of the September 3 order on September 11 and sent a subsequent reminder, but received no response. 

In light of these circumstances, Justice Alok Kumar Verma issued a contempt notice to Joshi and scheduled the next hearing for December 19.

"Mr. Sanjiv Chaturvedi has contended that he had intimated the respondent about the said Order dated 03.09.2024 vide letter dated 11.09.2024, followed by reminder. The respondent has willfully defied the order of the Court, passed in WPSB No.295 of 2024, despite being intimated about the same in writing by him. Notice is issued to the respondent. Steps to be taken within a week. List on 19.12.2024," the Court said in its October 23 order.

Chaturvedi asserted that he was eligible for empanelment in January 2020 after meeting all necessary requirements, including 17 years of service, promotion to level-14, exceptional Annual Performance Assessment Reports (APARs), and vigilance clearance.
 
However, he indicated that his empanelment has remained unresolved for the past four years, and he has not been provided with the documents related to the process. This lack of information prevents him from challenging his non-empanelment, thereby hindering his ability to serve in the Central government, which is a fundamental constitutional obligation of the All India Services under Article 312 of the Constitution, as stated in the petition.
 
The plea was moved through Advocate Shashank Pandey.
 
 
 
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