New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a compliance report concerning earlier court directions in two contempt petitions filed by Uttarakhand-cadre Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi (2002: UK) against senior officials of the agency.
Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the direction on September 2, asking the CBI to place its compliance report before the court ahead of the next hearing scheduled for February 3, 2027. The direction is subject to any interim or final order that may be passed by a division bench hearing the CBI’s challenge to an earlier single-judge order.
What Is the Dispute About?
The latest proceedings stem from a long-running dispute over information sought by Chaturvedi under the Right to Information (RTI) Act concerning CBI investigations into alleged corruption at AIIMS, New Delhi.
Chaturvedi had served as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) at AIIMS and had referred several matters concerning alleged irregularities to the CBI.
The dispute centres on a December 2019 order of the Central Information Commission (CIC), which directed the CBI to provide Chaturvedi with internal file notings and other documents connected with the investigations. The CBI opposed disclosure, citing the exemptions available to it under the RTI Act.
The CBI subsequently challenged the CIC’s decision before the Delhi High Court. In January 2024, a single-judge bench dismissed the CBI’s challenge and upheld the direction concerning disclosure of information. The agency later challenged that decision before a division bench, where the matter remains pending.
Delhi HC Had Ruled on CBI’s RTI Exemption
In January 2024, the Delhi High Court held that the CBI’s inclusion in the Second Schedule of the RTI Act does not give it blanket exemption from the law.
The court held that information concerning allegations of corruption and human rights violations can fall within the proviso to Section 24 of the RTI Act. It also noted that information could still be withheld where disclosure concerns a sensitive investigation.
The case involved information sought by Chaturvedi regarding CBI investigations into alleged corruption in procurement and other matters at AIIMS.
Contempt Proceedings Against CBI Officials
Following the January 2024 judgment, Chaturvedi approached the Delhi High Court alleging that the CBI had not complied with the directions.
In March 2024, the High Court issued notice to the CBI’s Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) on his contempt plea. Chaturvedi alleged that the documents directed to be supplied had still not been provided.
The broader contempt proceedings also involve former CBI officials Vineet Vinayak and Gagandeep Gambhir (IPS: 2004: Gujarat). Earlier, in September 2023, the Delhi High Court had issued contempt notices to the two officers in connection with Chaturvedi’s allegations of non-compliance with an earlier court order concerning information sought from the CBI.
CBI Accused Chaturvedi of ‘Arm-Twisting’
The dispute took another turn in April 2024, when the CBI filed an affidavit before the Delhi High Court opposing Chaturvedi’s contempt proceedings.
In the affidavit, CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch alleged that the contempt petition was an attempt to “arm-twist” the agency and prevent it from pursuing available legal remedies. The affidavit was filed in response to contempt notices issued after Chaturvedi alleged non-compliance with the court’s January 30, 2024 order.
The CBI maintained that its challenge to the earlier judgment was still pending and argued that the contempt proceedings should not prevent it from pursuing those legal remedies. These were submissions made by the agency in the proceedings and do not constitute a judicial finding against Chaturvedi.
Latest Court Direction
In the latest development, the Delhi High Court has asked the CBI to submit a compliance report before the next hearing in February 2027.
The agency had pointed out that its challenge to the single-judge order remains pending before a division bench, with the matter listed for October 7, 2026. Justice Pushkarna nevertheless directed the CBI to submit the compliance report, while making the direction subject to any subsequent order passed by the division bench.
The latest order therefore keeps the focus on whether the earlier directions concerning disclosure of information have been complied with, while the CBI’s challenge to those directions continues before the division bench.
Who Is Sanjiv Chaturvedi?
Sanjiv Chaturvedi is a 2002-batch Indian Forest Service officer. He completed his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering at Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), Allahabad, before joining the IFS through the UPSC examination. He began his career in the Haryana cadre and was later transferred to Uttarakhand.
Chaturvedi served as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) at AIIMS, New Delhi, where he pursued several cases involving alleged corruption and administrative irregularities. His anti-corruption work earned him the S. R. Jindal Prize in 2011 and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2015.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation recognised him for his integrity, courage and persistence in investigating corruption in public office and working to improve government systems.
