CAT denies interim relief to IFS officer in UKPCB deputation row

Dehradun: Central Administrative Tribunal's (CAT) Principal Bench has refused interim relief to IFS officer Sushanta Kumar Pattnaik in a dispute over his deputation as member secretary of the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board (UKPCB), holding that he failed to establish any prima facie right to the post.In its March 17, 2026 order, the Tribunal dismissed the application, imposed a cost of Rs 10,000, and observed that the plea effectively sought final relief at an interim stage. It also rejected the contention that earlier interim protection revived his claim, drawing a distinction between quashing an order and merely staying its operation. The bench declined to intervene and dismissed the plea with costs, terming it "patent misuse of the court."The case stems from Pattnaik's pending application challenging actions taken after he was attached, from the post of member secretary, UKPCB, to the office of the chief conservator of forests (head of the forest force), Uttarakhand, through an order dated Jan 25, 2024. Through the present plea, he sought restoration to the post in pay level 15, citing his appointment order dated April 25, 2023.He argued that the attachment order preceded the constitution of the local complaints committee and was not based on any findings under the PoSH Act. He further submitted that CAT's earlier orders dated Jan 9, 2025, and Dec 16, 2025, had directed restoration of his status, which, he claimed, had not been implemented.The state govt opposed the plea, stating that Pattnaik's temporary assignment was already canceled on Jan 6, 2026, according to Rule 10 of the UKPCB Rules, 2021, which allows for the removal of the chairman or member secretary before their term ends if there are financial issues or misconduct. The Tribunal noted that this order had not been challenged in the main application. It also pointed out that Pattnaik was serving in his parent cadre as chief conservator of forests (project and community forestry), Dehradun, in pay level-14 since April 1, 2025, without any financial loss or demotion.At the interim stage, CAT accepted the state's position and held that the officer had no vested statutory right to continue on deputation or to seek a posting of his choice. Referring to Supreme Court judgments, including state of Haryana vs SN Sharma, it reiterated that no individual can claim a right to continue in a particular charge. It also cited state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) vs Ram Sukhi Devi and state of UP vs Sandeep Kumar Balmiki to underline that final relief cannot be granted through interim orders.