India, Oct. 23 -- In a rare case in Indian jurisprudence, almost 16 judges - right from the Supreme Court, High Courts, Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), and District Courts - have recused themselves from hearing the case of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of the Uttarakhand cadre, Mr Sanjiv Chaturvedi. Mr Chaturvedi is known for exposing malfunctioning and misuse of authority and alleged corruption in governance at AIIMS, Haryana, and the Uttarakhand forest departments where he served.

His legal battles on service matters, central deputations, appraisal reports, and contempt proceedings against CAT members have triggered this series of withdrawals without assigning any reasons, until the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court ...