HC transfers Corbett corruption cases to Dehradun CBI Court

By Arun Pratap SinghGarhwal Post Bureau
Nainital, 21 Jul: The Uttarakhand High Court has ordered the transfer of two vigilance cases linked to alleged corruption and illegal construction in Corbett Tiger Reserve from Haldwani to the special CBI Court in Dehradun. A single judge bench comprising Justice Siddharth Sah, while hearing a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), accepted the plea and directed that the cases pending before the Special Judge (PC Act) in Haldwani be moved to Dehradun to avoid jurisdictional conflict and procedural inconsistencies.
The court also observed that since the CBI has already completed its detailed investigation and has filed a charge sheet in the notified CBI Court at Dehradun, parallel proceedings in Haldwani would lead to needless complications. Following the order, the vigilance cases titled ‘State versus Brij Bihari Sharma’ and ‘State versus Kishan Chand’, registered in 2022 by the Vigilance Establishment, Haldwani (Nainital sector), will now be heard in Dehradun.
It may be recalled that the charge sheet filed by the CBI names eight government officials and employees, including senior officers of the forest department. Among the principal accused are Rahul, then Director of Corbett Tiger Reserve, Kishan Chand, then Deputy Conservator of Forests and Divisional Forest Officer of Kalagarh Tiger Reserve Division, Lansdowne and Akhilesh Tiwari, then Deputy Conservator of Forests. They face serious allegations of financial irregularities, illegal felling and violations under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Other accused include field staff such as Brij Bihari Sharma, then Range Officer of Sonanadi and Pakhro ranges, along with several officials and employees. Proceedings will be conducted under sections 120‑B, 218, 409, 467 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code, as well as provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, Indian Forest Act and Wildlife (Protection) Act.