Chandigarh, February 1
The President has reversed the Hooda Government’s decision to downgrade the annual confidential reports (ACRs) of whistleblower Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi.
A January 31 order by Rekha Pai, Inspector General of Forests, IFS Division, Government of India, said the President had expunged “the adverse entries by Accepting Authorities of the Haryana Government in the ACRs for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12 as they were not tenable”. Aggrieved at the downgrading of his ACR by the Haryana Government, Chaturvedi had representated to the President on October 8, 2012, alleging the state government was harassing him. The ACR Reporting Authority, during the financial year 2010-11, gave Chaturvedi 9.5 out of 10 while the Reviewing Authority gave him nine.
However, the Accepting Authority -- allegedly under pressure from the Hooda Government -- recorded his ACR as 3.5/10 with adverse remarks.
Similarly, in 2011-12, Chaturvedi was graded 8.75/10 by the Reporting Authority and 8.5/10 by the Reviewing Authority. Again, the officer was graded 3.5/10 by the Accepting Authority with adverse remarks.
Under the performance appraisal system for all-India services officers, 8/10 is graded as outstanding, 6-8/10 as very good and 4-6/10 as good. However, 0-4/10 is graded as a zero. For promotion and central deputations, the benchmark score is “very good” and while it is “outstanding” for promotions and central deputations. Poor ACR could have adversely affected the officer’s career.
Chaturvedi, a 2002-batch IFS officer, faced 12 transfers, suspension and a department chargesheet after he unearthed irregularities in plantations under various centrally-sponsored schemes during his stint in Haryana from 2005-2010.
Earlier, on his representation, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) constituted a committee, which recommended quashing of the chargesheet against him and a CBI inquiry against certain state officials, including some in the Chief Minister’s office and a state minister.
The Haryana Government had lodged a strong protest to the MoEF for recommending quashing of the chargesheets against Chaturvedi to the President.
