CAT tribunal quashes Nadda, AIIMS Orders against Chaturvedi

New Delhi: IFS officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi has got a major relief, as the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) quashed orders passed by health minister JP Nadda and Aiims president and its director, indicting him for alleged indiscipline and lack of work ethics during his tenure as deputy secretary in the institute.

The tribunal’s bench, headed by PK Basu, quashed both the orders, noting that these were passed without issuing show cause notice to Chaturvedi that was “against the principles of natural justice”.

The adverse observation made in both the orders were also asked to be kept in Chaturvedi’s Annual Performance Assessment Report (APAR) for period 2015-16, against which he had approached the CAT.

“The orders dated January 7 and March 30 passed by the respondents (AIIMS director and its president) to the applicant (Chaturvedi) with copies to other concerned ministries, including chief secretary, Uttarakhand, is without issuing a show cause notice to him. This being against the principles of natural justice (sic). Both these orders are quashed,” the tribunal said.

Nadda had upheld and reiterated this memorandum with a direction that “this may be sent to the secretary, ministry of health and family welfare and cadre controlling authority”.

Chaturvedi had then approached the CAT, claiming that these orders had sought to “taint” his service record and placed him at a very disadvantageous position regarding future periodical review of the service record.

He had claimed that these orders were passed with “personal mala fide” as he was “exposing corruption cases in AIIMS”.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award winner officer has been at loggerheads with the central government over issues of promotion, work allocation, cadre transfer, deputation and APAR.