Delhi HC issues notice to CPIO of CBI on plea of IFS Sanjiv Chaturvedi alleging contempt of Court

New Delhi [India], March 29 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice to the CPIO of the Central Bureau of Investigation on a plea by Indian Forest Service (IFS ) Officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi alleging contempt of court on the part of the CPIO of the central agency for not complying with the order passed by the High Court on January 30 this year.
The High Court had dismissed the petition moved by the CPIO of CBI in 2020 against an order passed by the CIC in 2019.
Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice on the petition and directed the respondent CPIO of CBI to file a reply within 4 weeks. The matter has been listed on May 27, 2024 for further hearing.
Sanjiv Chaturvedi has filed the petition, alleging willful disobedience of the judgement passed by the High Court on January 30, 2024.
During hearing, advocate Manoj Khanna, counsel for petitioner, submitted that on November 25, 2019, the Information Commissioner of the Central Information Commission (CIC) had directed
the CPIO to provide information as sought in the RTI Application to the Appellant free of charge within 15 days from the date of receipt of this order. A compliance report to this effect shall be sent by the CPIO to the Commission.
However, the commission had refused to impose a penalty on CPIO and said that Commission does not find any mala fide intention on the part of the CPIO in denying information sought in the RTI Application. No action is warranted under Section 20 of the RTI Act in the matter.
Petitioner's further submission was that the petition of the respondent against the aforesaid order was dismissed by the learned Single Judge on January 30, 2024.
It was also submitted that, despite categorical directions, the requisite documents have still not been supplied to the petitioner.
On the other hand, counsel for the respondent submits that the respondent is in the process of filing an appeal against the judgement of January 30, 2024.
Chaturvedi has sought to provide a certified copy of all the file noting, documents, and correspondences related to the investigation done by the CBI on the corruption complaint dated July 3, 2014, marked to Nitish Mishra, SP (CBI), from the then CVO of AIIMS, New Delhi, regarding corruption in the purchase at trauma centres at AIIMS, New Delhi.
He had also sought to provide certified copies related to efforts made by CBI to locate Annexure-II of said
complaint and statements, if any, taken from TR Mahajan, Assistant Store Officer, regarding supplier firm owned by his son and daughter-in-law.
He had also sought to provide codified copy of all the file noting, documents, and correspondence related to investigation done by CBI in the preliminary inquiry (PE) registered by ACB, New Delhi, in January, 2014,
naming Vineet Chaudhary and BS. Anand, including the documents related to investigation done
by CBI into the transaction of their properties, as mentioned in the said PE.
Chaturvedi further sought to provide certified copy of all the file-noting documents or correspondences into investigation done by CBI into corruption complaint dated May 19, 2014, received from Vigilance Cell of AIIMS,
New Delhi regarding corruption in the surgery department of AIIMS, New Delhi and about which a half-baked report was sent by the CBI to the Union Health Ministry on December 17, 2014, it noted.
He also sought to provide certified copy of all the file notes, documents, and correspondences on complaint
dated 22.01.2016 addressed to Sh. Anil Sinha, IPS, the then Director (CBI) on Subject-complaint against shoddy investigation by CBI, order of January 30 noted.