Judicial recusals and IAS officer bail denial in India

Seventeen judicial officers have recused themselves from cases involving Sanjiv Chaturvedi, a 2002-batch Uttarakhand-cadre Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, since 2013. The recusals involve various levels of the judiciary, including two former Supreme Court judges, four Uttarakhand High Court judges, nine members of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), and two district court judges. Most orders regarding these recusals did not provide specific reasons.

Chaturvedi gained prominence for raising allegations of corruption and irregularities during his tenure in Haryana and as Director (Vigilance) at AIIMS, New Delhi. His legal history includes disputes over postings, performance appraisals, and disciplinary proceedings. The most recent recusal occurred on September 21, when CAT Delhi Bench member Rajveer Singh Verma stepped aside from a petition challenging an Uttarakhand government order regarding appraisal-report channels.

In a separate legal matter, a Bengaluru court rejected the bail plea of suspended IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar. Gangwar is accused in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Veterinary Officer recruitment scam, which involves allegations of leaked question papers and tampered OMR sheets. The court cited a potential risk of evidence destruction and the influence of witnesses as reasons for denying bail.