Can't Withhold Officer's Promotion When Chargesheet Was Served After Completion Of Exercise: Uttarakhand High Court Reiterates

The Uttarakhand High Court stayed an order which had put on hold the promotion of a man as a Forest Range Officer, based on a charge-sheet issued against him which was served to him after the promotion exercise. In doing so the court reiterated that withholding of promotion of an individual on the ground that charge-sheet was issued on a date anterior to holding of promotion exercise cannot...

Outsourced Forest Staff Cannot Be Discontinued Over Mere Classification Under 'Wrong Salary Head': Uttarakhand High Court

The Uttarakhand High Court has granted relief to a slew of outsourced workmen (petitioners) of the Uttarakhand Forest Department— whose engagement was discontinued on the sole ground that there was a change in the salary head from which their wages were being drawn— directing the State Government to not discontinue the services of such workmen on such grounds.The services of the petitioners— who were engaged through outsourcing in different divisions of Uttarakhand Forest Department (Respondent)...

Uttarakhand High Court Quashes GST Order After Authorities Ignored Adjournment Request While Assessee Was Abroad

The Uttarakhand High Court has quashed a Goods and Services Tax (GST) demand order passed against an assessee after the department ignored his request for adjournment on the ground that he was abroad at the relevant time. The petitioner had approached the Court challenging an order issued under Section 73 of the CGST/SGST Act, contending that the adjudicating authority proceeded...

'Deriding Elected Govt': Uttarakhand HC Denies Relief To Man Accused Of Instigating 'Mob Lynching' Attempt Via FB Live

The Uttarakhand High Court has refused to quash the FIR or grant protection from arrest to a person accused of instigating a mob lynching attempt under the pretext of cow protection, via Facebook Live. A bench of Chief Justice G. Narendar and Justice Subhash Upadhyay dismissed the writ petition file y accused (Madan Mohan Joshi) as it took serious exception to his alleged...

Uttarakhand High Court Orders Police Action Against BJP Leader For Alleged Role In Communal Violence

The Uttarakhand High Court last week directed the Nainital police to take action against a local BJP leader Madan Joshi for his alleged role in inciting communal violence in Ramnagar (District Nainital) and to submit an action taken report by November 6. A bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Subhash Upadhyay passed this order on a protection petition filed with by one...

'Conscience Shaken': Uttarakhand High Court Transfers Probe Into Missing Mahant's Case To CBI After 8 Yrs Of Inaction

The Uttarakhand High Court last week ordered the transfer of investigation into the disappearance of a priest/mahant from Haridwar, who also happenes to be the national spokesperson of the Akhara Parishad, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). A bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit expressed strong displeasure over the State police's prolonged failure to trace him even after...

Uttarakhand High Court Suspends POCSO Conviction & Grants Bail To Man After Alleged Victim Pleads For His Release

The Uttarakhand High Court has suspended the order of conviction and sentence passed against a man, who was implicated for allegedly kidnapping and committing rape and aggravated penetrative sexual assault on a minor girl, after the victim herself pleaded for suspension of his sentence and release on bail.A Division Bench of Chief Justice G. Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra also remarked that...

Another Uttarakhand High Court Judge Recuses From Hearing IFS Officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi's Contempt Plea Against CAT

Justice Alok Verma of the Uttarakhand High Court this week recused himself from hearing a contempt petition filed by Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi against members of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and its registry. The development comes just days after Justice Ravindra Maithani also recused from hearing this particular case. Till date, a total of 4...

Dignity Of Women Is Non-Negotiable: Uttarakhand High Court Slams Online Threats To Advocate Who Secured Acquittal In POCSO Case

The Uttarakhand High Court recently took strong exception to the spate of online rape and death threats issued against a woman advocate who appeared as counsel for the rape accused before the Supreme Court and secured acquittal judgement. Taking suo moto note of such online social media posts, the Court observed that the "dignity of women, by itself, and in the context of our culture,...

Uttarakhand High Court Judge Recuses From Hearing IFS Officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi's Contempt Plea Against CAT

Justice Ravindra Maithani of the Uttarakhand High Court last week recused himself from hearing a contempt petition filed by Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi against members of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and its registry. Justice Maithani is the third High Court judge to withdraw from a matter involving Chaturvedi. Earlier, in May 2023, Justice...

Chairman/Member Of Cooperative Tribunal Entitled To Revised Pension After Deduction Of Parent Service Benefits: Uttarakhand HC

A Division bench of the Uttarakhand High Court comprising Justice Ravindra Maithani and Justice Alok Mahra held that a person retiring as Chairman or Member of the Uttarakhand Cooperative Tribunal is entitled to recalculation of pension, gratuity, and other post-retiral benefits by including the service rendered in the Tribunal, after deducting benefits already received from the...

Uttarakhand High Court Asks 'Maktabs' Illegally Using Name 'Madarsa' To File Affidavit Desisting From Such Practice

While asking the authorities to de-seal the 'Maktabs' illegally functioning as 'Madarsa', the Uttarakhand High Court has ordered such Maktabs to file affidavits before the respective Sub Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) to desist from running Madarsa and refrain from using the expression 'Madarsa' in the name of their institutions.A Single Bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari was hearing a batch...