The Supreme Court of India’s remarks against Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding the fresh appointment of a former Corbett Tiger Reserve director, previously removed on disciplinary grounds, have led to the removal of three senior officials from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Dehradun.

The transferred officers, including two IAS and one IFS, have been stripped off their CMO responsibilities and reassigned to the state secretariat.

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The officials removed from CMO include two secretaries to the Chief Minister, Dr R Meenakshi Sundaram and SN Pandey, both IAS officers. The third official, IFS and special secretary to the CM, Parag Madhukar Dhakate, was also removed.

Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office revealed that the three officials were transferred on the Chief Minister’s directions late Thursday night, following the Supreme Court’s remarks against him regarding the appointment of IFS officer Rahul as Director of Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR) despite a pending CBI probe into an illegal tree-felling case during his tenure as Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) chief. Their removal was part of a broader reshuffle by the Dhami government, which included the transfer of 33 other IAS and PCS officials.

It’s noteworthy that Rahul was removed as the Director of the Corbett Tiger Reserve on disciplinary grounds following a departmental inquiry into illegal tree felling and construction in the Pakhro Range of the CTR. The state vigilance initially investigated the case after a report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). This led to the arrests of then Pakhro Ranger Brij Bihari Sharma and retired DFO Kishan Chand in 2022. Besides this, Rahul was removed and transferred to the IT division of the state forest department on disciplinary grounds after the inquiry.

Later, the Uttarakhand High Court transferred the investigation to the CBI in 2023. The Pakhro range scam, worth over ₹215 crore, is currently being heard by the SC. It is alleged that in 2019, massive illegal constructions were carried out, and over 6,000 trees were felled despite permission being granted for the removal of only 163 trees to create a tiger safari in the Pakhro Range of CTR.

The issue became contentious for the Dhami government after the CM appointed Rahul as Director of Rajaji National Park (RNP) in August 2024, reportedly on the advice of officials in the CMO. According to reports, the Chief Minister allegedly overruled the recommendations of Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal and the state Chief Secretary, both of whom claimed that Rahul’s appointment as the RNP head was improper due to the pending CBI probe against him in the Pakhro Range scam.

Although Rahul was removed from the RNP after the matter gained media attention, the Supreme Court strongly Dhami on August 4, questioning his decision. The court remarked that “this not a feudal era” and accused the Chief Minister of disregarding the recommendations of his minister and senior officials. “There is something like the principle of public trust. The state head cannot behave like kings of the past. What attachments does the Chief Minister have with this official? Can he do anything just because he is the Chief Minister,” the Supreme Court said during the hearing.