DEHRADUN: Senior Uttarakhand-cadre Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi has served a legal notice on the state Chief Secretary, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the promotion of former Head of Forest Force Ranjan Kumar Mishra to the apex pay scale.
The notice, sent through senior advocate Manoj Khanna on August 24, alleges that Mishra, a 1993-batch IFS officer, was promoted to Apex Level-17 and appointed Head of Forest Force on December 1, 2025, despite failing to meet mandatory disclosure requirements.
Mishra retired on June 30, 2026.
“At the centre of the dispute is a straightforward statutory requirement,” Khanna told TNIE.
“Following the December 2021 amendment to the IFS (Pay) Rules, 2016, an officer must submit the annual Immovable Property Return by January 31 to be considered for appointment to the next higher pay level.”
The return, containing details of land and buildings owned by an officer, must be filed online. "Online submission has been mandatory for All India Services officers since January 1, 2017," Khanna said.
According to the notice, a search of the Centre’s official IPR-status portal displayed “No data available in table” against Mishra’s name for 2022 to 2025.
It further alleges that no property return was available from 2017 onwards. The notice cites annual instructions issued by the Department of Personnel and Training to Chief Secretaries, stating that failure to file property returns constitutes “good and sufficient reason” for initiating disciplinary proceedings.
“The Environment Ministry’s Vigilance Division also wrote to states in 2023, 2024 and 2025, making it clear that delays would not be condoned and vigilance clearance would be denied to defaulting officers,” Khanna said.
The notice alleges that the selection committee neither considered the amended rule nor discussed the purportedly missing returns before granting Mishra an integrity certificate.
The committee was chaired by the Chief Secretary.
Calling the decision “a complete mockery of the entire statutory framework”, Chaturvedi claimed the issue emerged from court documents filed in December 2025, when another IFS officer challenged Mishra’s promotion.
The notice points out that Mishra held sensitive assignments involving forest clearances, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority funds, and the wildlife wing before becoming forest force chief.
It claims the prolonged absence of property declarations while holding such posts warrants examination by the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department.
It also cites a 2013 Supreme Court judgment directing an inquiry into the alleged withholding of charge sheets from a selection committee considering an appointment to Uttarakhand Pey Jal Nigam.
Chaturvedi has sought preservation of all relevant files, their transfer to the CBI, departmental proceedings after retirement, recovery of additional salary and accountability of the then principal secretary, Forest, and selection committee members.
The chief secretary has been given 45 days to respond, failing which the complainant will approach the Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Administrative Tribunal or the High Court, according to the notice.
