CAT issues contempt notice to Centre on bureaucrat's plea regarding deputation in Lokpal

The Nainital bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has issued a contempt notice to the Centre in a matter related to the deputation of a senior bureaucrat in anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal and sought its response within four weeks' time, according to an official order.

Sanjiv Chaturvedi, a 2002 batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of Uttarakhand cadre, had applied for deputation in Lokpal in 2019.

His application was forwarded by the state government with its no objection certificate and recommendation on December 23, 2019 to the secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Citing delay in deciding his case, the officer moved the tribunal in February 2020, for issuing necessary direction.

The tribunal, in an order dated September 1, 2022, directed the respondent no 1 -- secretary, MoEFCC -- to take a decision on Chaturvedi's ''pending representation" within a period of eight weeks.

Aggrieved over the alleged wilful disobedience of the CAT's September 1 directive, Chaturvedi approached the tribunal with a contempt petition in December last year.

Hearing the petition, a division bench of Justice Om Prakash and Administrative Member Mohan Pyare has now issued a notice to the secretary of the MoEFCC.

''From perusal of the judgement dated 01.09.2022 ... it is evident that this tribunal had directed the respondent no 1 to decide the representation of the applicant but respondent no 1 has not passed any order whereas the order dated 3rd October, 2022 has been passed by the Director (IFS), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change,'' read the order dated February 22.

''Therefore, we are of the opinion that as per the direction of this tribunal, representation of the applicant must be decided by respondent no 1. Accordingly respondent no 1 is directed to file compliance report within a period of four weeks,'' the order said and listed the contempt petition for March 23, 2023.

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