The Madras High Court on Friday wanted to know if there was any proposal to transfer Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-cum-Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj to Arasu Rubber Corporation Limited. The court directed the State government to clarify its position by Tuesday.
Appearing before a Division Bench of Justices V. Bharathidasan and N. Sathish Kumar, advocate T. Lajapathi Roy said, he had received information from certain sources regarding the proposed transfer of Mr. Niraj who had been assisting the court since last year in a host of forest-related cases.
When the judges wanted to know if it was true, a government counsel claimed ignorance about such a move and said, Mr. Niraj had tested positive for COVID-19 after his recent visit to Nagpur to attend a conference and he was now in home quarantine.
To this, Mr. Roy said the sudden transfer of Mr. Niraj might affect the investigation in many forest offences and said that he would only be happy if the news of his proposed transfer was wrong. Concurring with him, the judges asked the government to clarify the position on Tuesday.
