Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 27 : In a highly unusual turn of events, the 15th judge has recused from hearing the cases involving Uttarakhand cadre Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, drawing fresh attention to the long-running legal battles surrounding his complaints and petitions.
Senior Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court, Justice Ravindra Maithani, stepped aside from hearing a contempt case. The contempt petition was filed by Chaturvedi against the members of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and its registry, alleging willful disobedience of a High Court stay order. "List before another Bench of which I (Ravindra Maithani, J.) am is not a Member," Justice Maithani directed in his order dated September 26, without citing any reason.
He is the third Uttarakhand High Court judge to withdraw from Chaturvedi's matters. Earlier, Justice Rakesh Thapliyal recused in May 2023 from hearing a case related to Chaturvedi's appraisal report, while Justice Manoj Tiwari did the same in February 2024 in his central deputation matter.
This is the fourth Judicial recusal this year alone. In February 2025, CAT members Harvinder Oberai and B Anand declined to hear his case. In April 2025, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Neha Kushwaha withdrew from a defamation case filed by Chaturvedi against CAT judge Manish Garg, citing her 'previous family relations ' with another CAT judge, DS Mahra.
So far, two Supreme Court judges -- Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice UU Lalit, three high Court judges, two lower court judges, and eight CAT (Central Administrative Tribunal) Judges, including the Chairman of CAT, have recused themselves from hearing cases involving Sanjiv Chaturvedi.
This year, in April 2025, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Neha Kushwaha had recused from hearing a defamation case filed by Chaturvedi against CAT judge Manish Garg, citing her 'previous family relations ' with another CAT judge, DS Mahra.
In February 2025, a Division Bench of CAT consisting of Harvinder Oberai and B Anand had recused themselves, without citing any reason, by simply directing the Registry not to list cases of Chaturvedi before them in future. The Bench was hearing a case related to the appraisal report of Chaturvedi.
In February 2024, Justice Manoj Tiwari of the Uttarakhand High Court had recused himself from hearing his cases while hearing a matter related to the deputation of an Officer. Again, the recusal order did not mention any ground.
Earlier, in 2018, in a similar matter, the Uttarakhand High Court had passed orders stating that service matters of officers were to be heard at the Nainital Circuit Bench only and had imposed a cost of Rs. 25,000 on the Central Government, which the Apex Court upheld. In 2021, the Uttarakhand High Court reiterated its earlier position, which the Central Government again challenged before the Supreme Court. In March 2023, a Division Bench in the Apex Court had referred the matter to a larger Bench.
In November 2013, the then-Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, had recused himself from hearing a case filed by Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who demanded a CBI investigation into the role of then-Chief Minister of Haryana, Sh. Bhupender Singh Hooda and other senior politicians and bureaucrats of the State were involved in various corruption cases exposed by him, as well as his harassment. Later on, in August 2016, the then Supreme Court Judge UU Lalit had also recused from hearing this case.
In April 2018, a Shimla court judge had recused himself from hearing of a defamation case filed by Mr Vineet Chowdhary, the then Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh, against Sanjiv Chaturvedi. In March 2019, the then Chairman, Central Administrative Tribunal Delhi, Justice L. Narasimhan Reddy, had recused himself from hearing cases related to various transfer petitions of Chaturvedi, citing certain 'unfortunate developments'.
In February 2021, another judge of the CAT, Delhi, Justice R. N. Singh, also recused himself from hearing a service matter case involving Sanjiv Chaturvedi.
In May 2023, Justice Rakesh Thapliyal of the Uttarakhand High Court recused himself from hearing the Chaturvedi cases without mentioning any reason.
In November 2023, a Bench of CAT Judges, consisting of Manish Garg and Chchabilendra Roul, had also recused themselves from hearing his cases. This year, in January, another CAT Judge, Justice Rajeev Joshi, had also recused from his service matter.
Legal observers noted that this is a record in judicial history of the country, as never have so many judges recused themselves from hearing the cases of a particular person.