Guwahati: In a significant development that has sent ripples through the state’s administrative machinery, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has directed the Assam government to immediately promote Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer K.S.P.V. Pavan Kumar to the post of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Wildlife.
The order not only mandates Kumar’s promotion with retrospective effect from January 1, 2024, but also quashes the appointment of another senior IFS officer to the same post.
The controversy dates back to August 29, 2023, when the Joint Cadre Authority (JAC) shortlisted a three-member panel for the top forest department post.
The panel comprised 1991-batch IFS officer R.P. Singh, 1992-batch officer Pavan Kumar, and 1993-batch officer Vinay Gupta. Ultimately, the state’s Environment and Forest Department appointed R.P. Singh to the position on December 31, 2023, bypassing Kumar.
Seeking redress, Pavan Kumar, who is now posted as Additional PCCF (Afforestation), approached the Central Administrative Tribunal on February 15, 2024. While the Tribunal directed the government to provide a reasonable justification for overlooking him, the directive was reportedly ignored.
The plot thickened a month later, on March 16, 2024, when the Anti-Corruption Branch registered an FIR against a group of forest officers, including Kumar.
Representing Kumar, advocates argued that the FIR—lodged directly by the Forest Department—was a calculated move to indefinitely stall his chances of securing the PCCF (Wildlife) post.
Addressing this issue, the Tribunal delivered a decisive verdict on May 28, 2024, ruling that an officer’s promotion cannot be withheld merely because of a pending anti-corruption case, especially when investigating officers had failed to file a formal chargesheet.
Despite this clear legal position, the Assam Forest Department proceeded to promote Vinay Gupta to the PCCF (Wildlife) post on November 26, 2024.
Prompting immediate legal action from Kumar, the ensuing administrative battle culminated in the Tribunal’s latest ruling.
Concluding lengthy hearings on the alleged denial of promotion, the CAT ordered that the government must elevate Pavan Kumar to the rank of PCCF (Wildlife). To clear the path, the Tribunal explicitly cancelled the November 26 order that had promoted Vinay Gupta.
In a final reprimand over the state’s handling of the matter, the Tribunal also penalised the Forest Department’s Special Chief Secretary, M.K. Yadav.
Citing Yadav’s repeated failure to submit a timely written response to Kumar’s petition, the Tribunal imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the senior official while granting him a final opportunity to file his reply.