DoPT initiates steps to move Chaturvedi to Delhi govt

The procedures have been finally initiated to move whistleblower official Sanjiv Chaturvedi from the Centre to the Delhi government, months after a request to this effect was made by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The Department of Personnel and Training has written to Ministry of Environment, the cadre-controlling authority for Chaturvedi, an Indian Forest Service Officer, and the Union Health Ministry, for issuing NOC so that he could be deputed to the Delhi government. 

“...As per the extant procedure, NOC of the administrative ministry i.e. the Department of Health and Family Welfare and Cadre Clearance of the Ministry of Environment being the cadre controlling would be needed before processing the case further,” said a DoPT communication on the issue.

Chaturvedi, removed as the Chief Vigilance Officer of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) last August, is currently serving as Deputy Secretary in the premier hospital. The AAP had protested his removal as AIIMS CVO.

In February, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal had written to Union Minister for Environment Prakash Javadekar seeking Chaturvedi’s deputation to the Delhi government. Kejriwal had said he wanted to make Chaturvedi his Officer on Special Duty (OSD).

Following Kejriwal’s letter, Environment ministry officials had submitted a note to Javadekar for processing the case for approval by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet after getting approval of the Health Ministry and Haryana government. Chaturvedi is a Haryana cadre officer who was sent on central deputation nearly two years ago.

Javadekar decided to seek opinion of DoPT on the issue last month and had forwarded the matter to it.  

Chaturvedi, first received support of Aam Aadmi Party when Central government removed him from the post of Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of AIIMS. After forming the government in Delhi, Kejriwal expressed his desires to appoint Chaturvedi as chief of its anti-corruption cell. An electrical engineer from National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, Chaturvedi joined Indian Forest Service (IFS) in 2002 with his first posting in Haryana. 

Due to his crusade against corruption, the state government started harassing him by implicating in false cases which were overruled by the President of India. 

A record number of four orders were passed by the President in support of the officer, quashing various illegal orders of the Haryana government, between years 2008 and 2014, which is a record number of cases related to any officer in the history of Independent India, regarding, suspension, departmental charge-sheet and ACRs.