Uttarakhand HC flags forest officer’s transfer, warns against political influence

The HC was hearing a petition filed by Hemant Bisht, Range Forest Officer of Nandprayag in Chamoli district, challenging his September 12 transfer to Rudraprayag

Published on: Sep 25, 2025, 19:08:52 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

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Dehradun: The Uttarakhand high court has expressed concern over the transfer of a forest officer to Rudraprayag district, observing that such actions should not be influenced by complaints from politicians.

The Uttarakhand high court has fixed the next hearing for October 7 (Representative photo)

A division bench of chief justice G. Narendar and justice Subhash Upadhyay made the remarks while hearing a petition on Wednesday filed by range forest officer of Nandprayag in Chamoli district Hemant Bisht, who has challenged his September 12 transfer order to Rudraprayag as stigmatic and arbitrary.

The bench questioned forest secretary C. Ravi Shankar, who said action against Bisht was taken due to lapses in work related to the forthcoming Nanda Devi Yatra, while a complaint by a Gram Pradhan was only “incidental.”

The court, however, in its order cautioned that if departmental actions were prompted by political complaints, “offices would remain vacant, with officers spending their time at the doorstep of the political class.”

The secretary admitted such a situation was “not desirable or welcome” and assured the court that the matter would be reviewed, with a report to be submitted.

Bisht’s counsel, Abhijay Negi and Snigdha Tiwari, argued that the officer was punished without being given a chance to present his case and that vested interests were misusing their influence in forest administration.

The petition states that an inquiry order issued on August 27 and the subsequent transfer order amounted to a stigma on his professional record. “Nowhere has the investigation committee cared to ascertain the perspective of the petitioner at any stage before recommending his attachment in such a stigmatic way,” the plea said.

The petitioner further argued that the complaint against him was not supported by any affidavit, as required under a government order issued on June 23, 2010.

The court has fixed the next hearing for October 7, while exempting the forest secretary from personal appearance on subsequent dates.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
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.Read More

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