Now Reading: Assam moves ex-forest officer Yadava to mines, HC closes case
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Assam moves ex-forest officer Yadava to mines, HC closes case
The Story in Brief
The Assam government on Thursday, 12 November 2026, told the Gauhati High Court it would not renew retired IFS officer MK Yadava’s tenure in the forest department, and instead re-engage him on a two-year contract in the Mines and Minerals Department. The court disposed of a PIL by environmental activist Rohit Choudhury and a writ petition by Amarjyoti Choudhury challenging Yadava’s repeated post-retirement extensions.
Additional Advocate General PN Goswami told a division bench that Yadava’s third extension as Special Chief Secretary (Forest) ended on 11 November 2026, and the cabinet decided against any further forest department role. The government issued a notification on 12 November appointing Yadava as Special Chief Secretary of the Mines and Minerals Department for two years from 13 November 2026, with full administrative and financial powers.
The Nenow.in outlet reports that despite the court submission, Yadava’s official tour programme still listed forest-related engagements. Meanwhile, The Indian Express notes that the court had earlier asked the state what action was taken following a 2025 Union environment ministry directive to prosecute Yadava for authorising commando camps on forest land, a query the state did not answer on Thursday.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The five outlets report the same core fact, the Gauhati High Court disposed of the petitions after the state said MK Yadava’s forest tenure ended and he would move to the mines department, but their emphases diverge sharply. Nenow.in leads with a contradiction, noting that while the government told the court it was ending Yadava’s forest role, his official tour programme still listed forest-related assignments. The Indian Express and Pratidin Time foreground the legal scrutiny: the former recounts the Union environment ministry’s 2025 directive for action against Yadava over commando camps on forest land and the court’s unanswered query on that, while the latter details the sequence of extensions and the controversy over forest land diversion. Times of India and ANI report neutrally, sticking to the court proceedings and the appointment notification.
Coverage: 5 sources, 3 government-critical, 2 neutral
Sources (5): nenow.in (government critical), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), indianexpress.com (government critical), pratidintime.com (government critical), aninews.in (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Update, 13 November 2026: this story now draws on 5 sources.
