Seventeen judicial officers — two Supreme Court judges, four judges of Uttarakhand high court, nine Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) judges and two judges from the district judiciary — have recused themselves from cases involving Uttarakhand-cadre Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi over the years.
In September-October 2025, Justice Alok Verma and Justice Ravindra Maithani of the Uttarakhand high court recused themselves from hearing a contempt case filed by Chaturvedi. (HT FILE)
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The latest is CAT Delhi bench judge Rajveer Singh Verma, who recused himself on September 21 from hearing Chaturvedi’s petition challenging a November 2021 Uttarakhand government order related to the Appraisal Report Channel of IFS officers.
The September 21 order stated: “After hearing the matter for some time, Hon’ble Mr. Rajveer Singh Verma, Member (J), recuses himself from hearing this matter. The Registry is directed to list the matter before the appropriate Bench and notify the same.”
The latest recusal comes after several judges and judicial officers withdrew from cases involving Chaturvedi over the years, citing different circumstances.
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In September-October 2025, Justice Alok Verma and Justice Ravindra Maithani of the Uttarakhand high court recused themselves from hearing a contempt case filed by Chaturvedi against CAT members and the Registry over alleged wilful disobedience of a high court stay order.
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In September-October 2025, Justice Alok Verma and Justice Ravindra Maithani of the Uttarakhand high court recused themselves from hearing a contempt case filed by Chaturvedi against CAT members and the Registry over alleged wilful disobedience of a high court stay order.
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In February 2024, Justice Manoj Tiwari recused himself from Chaturvedi’s case seeking documents from the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) concerning his central deputation.
The recusal of judicial officers in Chaturvedi’s cases dates back to November 2013, when then Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjan Gogoi recused himself from hearing a case seeking a CBI investigation into allegations of corruption and harassment raised by Chaturvedi.
In August 2016, then Supreme Court judge Justice UU Lalit also recused himself from the case.
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.
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Home/India News/Supreme Court judges among 17 to recuse from cases involving Uttarakhand IFS officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi
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