New Delhi: Sanjeev Chaturvedi, former Chief Vigilance officer of AIIMS, has filed a petition in the Delhi Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) alleging that the Modi government is illegally obstructing his inter-cadre change.
Chaturvedi has highlighted the cases of corruption as Chief vigilance officer of AIIMS.
Sanjeev Chaturvedi, an Indian Forest Service officer, had sought a transfer from his parent Haryana to Uttarakhand years ago, but moved CAT on Friday alleging the Centre was acting in a "malafide, arbitrary" manner to "punish" him for blowing the lid off "powerful corrupt elements" in AIIMS.
The then Union health minister Harsh Vardhan had removed Chaturvedi as the chief vigilance officer of AIIMS in Delhi a few months after the Narendra Modi government came to power.
The then Health Minister had said Chaturvedi was removed because he did not meet the standard of the designation. During his tenure, Chaturvedi had initiated action in 200 cases out of which punishment was ordered in 78 cases, 87 cases had seen conviction and in 20 cases the department issued a charge sheet that was sent to the CBI. Since then he has been working as an additional secretary at AIIMS.
AAP, along with anti-corruption activists, had raised a hue and cry over his removal. On Friday, confirming reports that AAP was indeed looking at Chaturvedi to head its anti-graft cell, Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia had praised his work, adding that he would be the best officer to be tasked with curbing corruption in the state.
Chaturvedi called cadre change as life threatening. He added that Bhupinder Singh government in the state of Haryana is upsetting him because different scams were exposed in state.
Chaturvedi has petitioned the Delhi CAT challenging an order of the Department of Personnel and Training passed last month, saying the order is "not backed by any type of rule", is "actuated by ulterior motives" and is "completely illegal".
As per procedure, the consent of both state governments involved is required for change of cadre. While Haryana government granted its consent on March 4, 2014, the Uttarakhand government granted the same the next month. On July 25 last year, the ministry of environment and forests, which controls the Indian Forest Service, examined the case and recommended inter-cadre change on grounds of "extreme hardship".
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia said on Sunday: "I want Sanjeev to join Anti Corruption Branch. On his joining, the Anti-Corruption Branch will be 100 times stronger." However, Sisodia didn't say whether Delhi government has begun the process of bringing Chaturvedi in ABC service or not.
Government sources said the AAP has started the process of making Chaturvedi as ACB head and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too wants the same.
