Guwahati: Controversy has erupted over the continuation of controversial retired IFS officer MK Yadava as Special Chief Secretary (Forest) even after the tenure of the Assam government ended with the resignation of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday (May 6, 2026).
Chief Minister Sarma submitted his resignation to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, paving the way for the formation of a new government in the state.
Questions have now been raised over Yadava’s continuation in office, as the Assam government’s Personnel Department had explicitly stated that his tenure was “co-terminus with the current term of the State Government.”
In an order issued on February 21, 2025, the Personnel Department had extended Yadava’s re-engagement as Special Chief Secretary (Forest) with effect from March 1, 2025, after completion of his earlier tenure on February 28, 2025.
“M.K. Yadava, IFS (Retd.), Special Chief Secretary (Forest) is re-engaged as Special Chief Secretary (Forest) w.e.f. 01-03-2025 and co-terminus with the current term of State Government,” the order stated.
However, despite the end of the government’s tenure and the Chief Minister’s resignation on May 6, Yadava has continued in office. Sources said he is still functioning from his office in Dispur and issuing instructions to Forest Department officials.
According to sources, Yadava is also lobbying for another reappointment immediately after the formation of the new government. A panel of three officers has reportedly been forwarded by the Personnel Department for consideration, with Yadava’s name included alongside two IAS officers.
The Assam Governor had first re-engaged Yadava as Special Chief Secretary (Forest) for one year in March 2024 after his retirement as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF) on February 29, 2024. The Assam Cabinet later approved an extension of his re-engagement in February 2025.
The extension had triggered sharp criticism from Opposition parties, particularly the Assam Congress, which termed the appointment “political” and “legally questionable.” Opposition leaders argued that re-engaging a retired All India Service officer in a senior administrative post with full financial and executive powers violates central service norms.
Yadava has also faced scrutiny over a series of controversial forest land diversion decisions during his tenure.
In one major case, he allegedly approved the diversion of around 44 hectares of forest land in 2023 for a commando battalion near the Assam-Mizoram border in Hailakandi district without mandatory prior clearance from the Union Environment Ministry.
The matter later came under the scanner of the National Green Tribunal and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which issued a show-cause notice to him in 2024 for alleged violations of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
In another case, Yadava allegedly cleared the diversion of 28 hectares of forest land in the Geleky Reserve Forest along the Assam-Nagaland border in 2022 for a police battalion camp without prior approval from the Centre.
The Forest Advisory Committee of the Union Environment Ministry later imposed heavy penalties on the Assam government, including payment of five times the standard Net Present Value (NPV) along with 12 per cent simple interest.
Sources further claimed that in July 2025, the Union Environment Ministry directed legal action against Yadava over alleged violations of forest conservation laws linked to these land diversion cases. However, no action was initiated by the state government.