A concerning pattern continues to plague the case involving Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, as yet another judge has recused themselves from hearing the matter. Justice Alok Verma of the Uttarakhand High Court is the latest to withdraw, marking the 16th instance of judicial recusal in Chaturvedi's cases and the second in a mere two weeks.
Justice Verma's recusal order, dated October 8, 2025, simply stated, “List before another bench,” without providing any specific reason for the withdrawal. This lack of explanation follows a trend observed in previous recusals related to Chaturvedi's legal battles. Just 12 days prior, Justice Ravindra Maithani of the same High Court similarly stepped aside from hearing a contempt petition filed by Chaturvedi against members of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and its registry. This petition alleges willful disobedience of a stay order that had halted proceedings in a suo motu contempt case against Chaturvedi.
Sanjiv Chaturvedi's counsel, Sudershan Goel, has voiced serious concerns regarding the repeated recusals, calling it "a denial of justice" and a violation of his client's constitutional rights. Goel argues that while judges typically recuse themselves when they have a prior relationship with a party, such as previous representation, familial ties, or financial associations, any other unreasoned recusal constitutes impropriety.
The sheer number of judges who have declined to hear Chaturvedi's cases is unprecedented in the country's judicial history. Besides the recent recusals of Justices Verma and Maithani, Justice Manoj Tiwari recused himself in February 2024 from a matter concerning Chaturvedi's central deputation, and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal stepped aside in May 2023 from his appraisal report case.
In February 2025, CAT members Harvinder Oberai and B Anand also recused themselves from a case involving Chaturvedi's appraisal report. Moreover, in April 2025, ACJM Neha Kushwaha recused herself from a defamation complaint filed by Chaturvedi, citing family ties with another CAT judge.
In total, two Supreme Court judges (Ranjan Gogoi and UU Lalit), three High Court judges, two lower court judges, and eight CAT judges, including a former chairman, have recused themselves from Chaturvedi's cases. In July 2025, a magisterial court judge became the 14th to recuse themselves from Sanjeev Chaturvedi's defamation case due to familial ties. The judge, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Kushwaha, cited her familial ties with D S Mahra, a member of the CAT principal bench in New Delhi, who had previously issued a suo motu contempt petition against Chaturvedi, as the reason for her recusal.
Chaturvedi is known as a whistleblower, having exposed scams in the health sector and the Haryana forestry case. He also served as the Chief Vigilance Officer at AIIMS, New Delhi.
