Guwahati: The Assam government is reportedly considering a fourth post-retirement engagement for retired IFS officer M.K. Yadava as Special Chief Secretary (Forest), even as the Union Environment Ministry has sought legal action against him over alleged forest-law violations and two High Court petitions challenge his continuation in office.

His current contract, notified on May 14, 2026, runs until November 11. Although no official order for a further extension has been issued so far, sources privy to the development told Northeast Now that the government is planning to extend his tenure by another six months.

Centre’s findings on commando camps

The most serious allegations concern two police commando battalion camps built on reserved forest land without prior Central govt approval under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, now the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam. The sites are about 28 hectares in Geleky Reserved Forest (Sivasagar) and 11.5 hectares in Innerline Reserved Forest at Damchera (Hailakandi).

Yadava, then PCCF and Head of Forest Force, had authorised the Assam Police Housing Corporation to build on the land. The Environment Ministry’s Shillong regional office issued him a show-cause notice in May 2024 and later rejected his defence of forest protection and security needs. In July 2025, the Ministry called the violations “gross” and directed the Forest Department to file complaints in court. The material reviewed indicates no prosecution has begun.

At Damchera, inspections found permanent structures, including residences, garages, stores and a small hospital. Yadava had told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) the facilities were temporary tents. In the Geleky case, the NGT in August 2024 asked the Ministry to disclose what action it had taken. The Ministry replied that its examination prima facie found non-forestry work had been allowed without Central approval.

Both camps later received ex-post-facto clearance after the state met conditions and paid penalties, including enhanced Net Present Value with interest. The clearances regularised the land use but do not resolve why construction preceded approval.

Other controversies

Yadava also ordered the engagement of the forest battalion on election duty during the last Assam Assembly election, a decision that was said to have put wildlife at risk. The NGT later stayed the order.

Yadava’s record has faced scrutiny on other fronts. At the Barak Bhuban Wildlife Sanctuary, a petition before the NGT alleged that forest land was diverted for a road to Bhuban Hill without Central approval, and in September 2024 the Tribunal barred construction without sanction. No finding of personal wrongdoing has been made.

In Kaziranga, an RTI-based inquiry questioned wildlife-fund spending linked to former President Ram Nath Kovind’s 2022 visit, and Yadava lost additional charge as Chief Wildlife Warden. Activists also questioned the 2022 rhino census, which he and the department defended. Neither matter establishes misappropriation or manipulation.

Political opponents have also cited allegations from his time as Managing Director of AMTRON, including over voting machines, thin-client systems and recruitment exams. No final findings substantiate them.

Court challenges

Yadava was re-engaged as Special Chief Secretary (Forest) immediately after his retirement in February 2024, with successive extensions—including a third via a May 2026 notification—granting him full financial and administrative powers.

In PIL/57/2026, filed by conservationist Rohit Choudhury, a Gauhati High Court Division Bench of Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury issued notice on September 11 on his third engagement. The petition cites a 2018 state memorandum permitting such appointments only in rare and exceptional cases, subject to satisfactory performance review. At the October 15 hearing, the state sought more time, and the matter was adjourned to November 6.

In WP(C)/5452/2026, Amarjyoti Choudhury seeks a writ of quo warranto against the May 14 notification. Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi issued notice on October 5, returnable November 4. The state questioned the petitioner’s standing and delay. An earlier challenge to the initial engagement, PIL 18/2025, was dismissed on March 18, 2025.

Neither case has decided whether the appointment is lawful. Separately, litigation has drawn attention to alleged encroachments in the Panbari and Betbari areas of Manas National Park, with notices involving the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Centre. These raise forest-governance concerns, not findings against Yadava.

The question for the government

Allegations are not convictions, and the state is entitled to defend its decision. But the Environment Ministry’s directions arose from a statutory examination and were placed before the NGT. Any fourth extension would require the government to explain why it is “exceptional,” how it squares with the 2018 memorandum, and what has been done to comply with the Ministry’s directions, while the appointment itself remains under judicial challenge.