The tribunal is hearing a case filed by Chaturvedi in July 2017 alleging unsatisfactory assessment of his annual performance appraisal report by officers concerned during his tenure at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
Dehradun: Uttarakhand has opposed a plea filed by the Centre seeking transfer of a case involving whistle-blower forest service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi from the Nainital bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), saying it would entail financial burden on the officer concerned.
In an affidavit filed before the tribunal, the state government said transferring the case when it was "ripe for final hearing" would not be appropriate as the official work of the department would suffer and sought dismissal of the Centre's request in this regard.
The tribunal is hearing a case filed by Chaturvedi in July 2017 alleging unsatisfactory assessment of his annual performance appraisal report by officers concerned during his tenure at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
Chaturvedi worked as chief vigilance officer -- who acts as a distant arm of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to check corruption in government departments -- and deputy secretary at the AIIMS between June 2012 and June 2016.
He exposed corrupt practices at the premier institute during his tenure.
Chaturvedi, a 2002 batch Indian Forest Service officer, had filed the case against the cabinet secretary, the secretary of CVC, the AIIMS director, Union Heath Minister J P Nadda, former AIIMS director M C Mishra and ex-deputy director AIIMS, V Srinivas, and others.
The central government had filed a petition before the chairman of the CAT at New Delhi in December 2017 for transfer of the case from the Nainital bench to Delhi, on which notices were issued to the Uttarakhand government also.
Under the CAT Act, the chairman of the tribunal has the power to transfer cases from one bench to another.
S D Singh, Additional Principal Forest Conservator, filed an affidavit in the tribunal on behalf of the Uttarakhand government.
"It is submitted that the transfer of the case from Nainital to Delhi at this juncture when pleadings are already complete and the case is ripe for final hearing will not be appropriate as it will not only entail financial burden on the respondent no 1 (Chaturvedi), the official work of the department would also suffer," he said.
The case is due to be heard by the Nainital bench on October 4.
In the related matter, the Uttarakhand High Court has slammed the chairman of the Central Administrative Tribunal for passing a "strange order" on the plea made by the central government seeking transfer of the case.
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