Retd forest officer re-appointment: Gauhati High Court seeks Assam government response

The division bench of Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury of the Gauhati High Court issued a notice to the Assam government on September 11, seeking its response to a public‑interest litigation that questions the re‑engagement of retired Indian Forest Service officer M K Yadava as Special Chief Secretary (Forest). The petition, filed by environmental activist Rohit Choudhury and represented by advocate Abir Phukan, alleges procedural irregularities in Yadava’s latest appointment.

Yadava, who retired in February 2024, received a third contractual extension on May 14, 2024, extending his tenure until November 12, 2024. The petition points to a 2018 Assam government office memorandum that allowed post‑retirement engagements only in “rare and exceptional circumstances,” which was altered in early 2024 to bypass a state‑empowered committee if the Chief Minister had already approved the proposal. The activist also cites adverse observations by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, including a show‑cause notice issued in May 2024 for Yadava’s authorization of two army commando camps on forest land—covering 26 hectares in Geleky (Sivasagar) and 11 hectares in Damchera (Hailakandi)—in violation of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Act 2023.

The controversy follows a directive from the ministry’s Shillong regional office that urged legal action against Yadava for the forest‑land camps, while Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma sought and obtained a post‑facto approval from Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav for the Damchera site. The activist argues that the alleged diversion of forest land has heightened public‑interest relevance after unprecedented floods hit Geleky in July. The court’s interim relief seeks a stay on any further extension beyond Yadava’s current term, underscoring broader concerns about the transparency of post‑retirement appointments in the state’s forest administration.