Uttarakhand CM Dhami overrules Minister, Chief Secy to post ousted Corbett chief as head of Rajaji reserve

On August 9, the officer, who had been holding a non-field posting at the Monitoring, Evaluation, IT & Modernization division of the Forest department, was officially given charge of the new post, the records show.

Part of the Shivalik tiger landscape, Corbett and Rajaji are the only two such reserves in Uttarakhand.

Dhami did not respond to an email from The Indian Express seeking comment. When contacted, Rahul said he would not comment on his “own posting”.

A senior official of the state Forest department said Rahul did not figure in the CBI FIR in the case of illegal tree felling and construction at Corbett. “He faced departmental action but it has been over two years now,” the official said.

Since he was removed from Corbett, Rahul held non-field postings in Dehradun. Records show the first step to get him back in charge of a tiger reserve took place on July 18 when the Forest Minister, with approval from the Chief Minister, modified a proposed transfer list of 12 IFoS officers, including the then director of the Rajaji reserve. One of the additions in the modified list was Rahul’s new appointment.

However, the file was resubmitted within a week after a note was routed through the Principal Secretary, Chief Secretary and Forest Minister. It sought reconsideration of the appointment “in view of the ongoing disciplinary proceedings against Rahul, the CBI probe and the associated case in the Supreme Court regarding illegal felling and construction work for Pakhro tiger safari inside Corbett”.

Proposing that status quo be maintained with Rahul, the note recommended that additional charge of Rajaji be given to an eligible officer serving in adjoining areas. On July 24, the Forest Minister forwarded the amended proposal, which gave additional charge of Rajaji to the Conservator of Forests (Bhagirathi Circle), to the Chief Minister.

It was at this juncture that Dhami put his foot down and reaffirmed Rahul’s appointment with this handwritten note: “The appointment of CCF Rahul in Rajaji director’s post… was proposed and the same has been approved. Issue order accordingly.” Within a day, the government issued the appointment order “in the public interest”.

In December 2021, The Indian Express reported how the state government had started work on a tiger safari in Corbett before receiving Forest clearance from the Centre. The report highlighted how the state embarked on a construction spree worth at least Rs 157 crore – six times the approved project cost — without legal, administrative or financial sanction.

In January 2022, the Uttarakhand High Court directed the state government to take action against officials responsible for the illegal activities. In April 2022, the state suspended two forest officers and removed Rahul from the post of Corbett’s director. He was attached to the office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) in Dehradun.

In 2023, the issue reached the Supreme Court. This March, the apex court came down heavily on the Uttarakhand government and ordered that a committee be set up to suggest ways for repairing the ecological damage.

A month earlier, in February, the Enforcement Directorate searched multiple premises belonging to Uttarakhand’s former Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat in connection with alleged illegal activities inside Corbett. Earlier this month, the CBI questioned Rawat and also sought the state’s nod for questioning Forest officers allegedly involved in the case.