File affidavit in transfer case of forest officer: CAT to Haryana govt

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

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Chandigarh, February 24

The Chandigarh bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has directed the Chief Secretary of Haryana to file a comprehensive affidavit to clarify as to how the changes with regard to home district were effected in the service records of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Ranbir Singh Dhull who was transferred from Kaithal.

The direction was issued on the application of Dhull, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Kaithal, who has challenged the order of the Haryana Government, dated November 30, 2021, vide which Sandeep Singh Saini, ACF, Wildlife, Panchkula, was transferred as Divisional Forest Officer, Kaithal, replacing Dhull even without issuing his further posting orders.

Dhull has challenged the order through senior advocate GS Bal and advocate Sewa Singh.

A CAT Chandigarh bench issued the direction to the Chief Secretary to file the affidavit after the Forest and Wildlife Department failed to satisfy the bench as to how the changes in the applicant’s service records were made and a reply also not mentioned the full facts related to the transfer.

In the reply, the department stated that the applicant was transferred to Kaithal mistakenly. The department said that when it came to the notice of the department that applicant was transferred to his home district, ie Kaithal wrongly, the mistake was rectified and the order of his transfer was issued on November 30, 2021.

Dhull, however, contradicted the reply and said that his home district was Hisar and, therefore, he could not be transferred from Kaithal before the completion of his tenure, merely on the grounds that his home district was Kaithal.

The note recorded on February 3, 2022, further revealed that the Principal Secretary to the CM had obtained the approval of the Chief Minister also.

This information was not given in the earlier reply to the CAT by the department.

Principal secy had cm’s approval

Later while appearing before the court, Sandeep Sharma, Under Secretary to the Government of Haryana, also produced a noting which revealed that Naib Singh Saini, Member Parliament, had requested the Forest Minister, Haryana, that Sandeep Singh Saini be transferred as DFO, Kurukshetra/Kaithal, due to his family circumstances.