Justice Alok Verma of the Uttarakhand High Court has recused himself from hearing the contempt petition filed by whistleblower IFS officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi. With this, a record 16 judges have withdrawn from cases involving Chaturvedi, highlighting challenges faced by government whistleblowers.
Nainital: Justice Alok Verma of the Uttarakhand High Court has recused himself from hearing the contempt petition filed by senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer and whistleblower Sanjiv Chaturvedi against the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and its registry members.
With this latest recusal, the total number of judges who have stepped aside from Chaturvedi’s cases has now reached 16.
Sanjiv Chaturvedi, widely recognized for exposing alleged corruption during his tenure as Chief Vigilance Officer at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, has repeatedly faced recusals in his ongoing legal battles with various government agencies.
Earlier, three judges from the Uttarakhand High Court – Justices Ravindra Maithani, Rakesh Thapliyal, and Manoj Kumar Tiwari – had also withdrawn from cases related to Chaturvedi.
Additionally, 12 other judges, including former Supreme Court judges Justice UC Lalit and Justice Ranjan Gogoi, recused themselves from hearing cases where Chaturvedi was a party.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nainital had also recused itself previously from hearing a criminal case involving him.
A division bench of CAT comprising judges Harvinder Kaur Oberoi and B Anand recused itself from Chaturvedi’s cases as well.
The chairman of CAT, a lower court judge in Shimla, and eight CAT judges from the Delhi and Allahabad benches have also recused themselves at different times.
Chaturvedi noted,
“this is a record in the country, where 16 judges recused themselves from hearing a person’s case.”
He added that previously, ten judges had recused themselves from hearing the case of don-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed.
The current contempt case arose from suo motu proceedings initiated by CAT against Chaturvedi on October 17, 2024.
The Uttarakhand High Court had stayed the proceedings until October 7, 2025, but CAT went ahead on September 12, appointing a senior advocate as amicus curiae. Chaturvedi has approached the high court challenging this action.
Justice Verma, in a brief order dated October 8, without giving any reasons, stated,
“List it before another bench.”
This series of recusals has highlighted the extraordinary challenges faced by whistleblowers like Chaturvedi in pursuing legal accountability, while also raising questions about judicial procedures and impartiality in high-profile government cases.
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