Haryana withdraws transfer order of Panchkula forest officer

Chandigarh, March 21

The Haryana Government has withdrawn the transfer order of Sandeep Singh Saini, Assistant Conservator of Forest, Wildlife, Panchkula, issued on December 1, 2021, as Divisional Forest Officer, Kaithal, displacing Ranbir Singh Dhull, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Kaithal.

The government today placed this information before the Chandigarh Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).

The decision to withdraw the order came after CAT directed the Chief Secretary of Haryana to file a comprehensive affidavit in the matter after Dhull, an Indian Forest Service officer, challenged the order before the Bench through senior advocate GS Bal and advocate Sewa Singh.

Dhull challenged the order saying that the government had posted Sandeep Singh Saini, Haryana Forest Service officer, in his place without issuing his further posting order. He claimed that his transfer order was not approved by the Civil Services Board. Dhull also contradicted the stand of the government which claimed that he was transferred to Kaithal mistakenly.

The Forest Department, in the reply, justified the transfer order of Dhull claiming that his earlier transfer order was issued mistakenly. The department said when it came to the notice of the department that Dhull was transferred to his home district, i.e. Kaithal, wrongly, the mistake was rectified and the order of his transfer was issued in December. Dhull, however, contradicted the reply and said his home district was Hisar and he was not aware when the alleged changes regarding his home district were made in his service record.

During the hearing, it was also revealed through the noting placed by an Under Secretary to the Government of Haryana before the Tribunal that Naib Singh Saini, Member of Parliament, requested the Forest Minister, Haryana, for the transfer of Sandeep Singh Saini as DFO, Kurukshetra/Kaithal, due to his family circumstances. The tribunal had sought the information to clarify the whole situation by way of filing a comprehensive affidavit by the Chief Secretary.

But the government placed the order cancelling the transfer. The new order issued by AK Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest and Wildlife Department, says Dhull will continue as Deputy Conservator of Forest, Kaithal, and Sandeep Singh Saini will continue as Assistant Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Panchkula.