High Court accepts fact-finding panel's report on KPSC scam

The High Court on Tuesday accepted the report of the fact-finding committee on the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment scam and posted the case for final hearing, directing the lawyers to submit written arguments. 

A division bench of Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice B V Nagarathna directed the petitioners — the State and the selected candidates — to draw inference from the findings of the committee and make written submissions. “You should come out with a submission on what you propose to do with the candidates who have been selected wrongfully and what will you do with the permanent victims,” the Chief Justice told the government. 

The counsel for the KPSC sought adjournment but the bench refused and said: “The CID submitted its report in 2008. Why no action has been taken so far?” 

When the counsel for the KPSC said the credibility of a constitutional body (the KPSC) was at stake, the bench asked whether the KPSC was a victim or the cause of a victim. To this, the counsel replied that he did not know but assured the bench that he would come out with a solution. 

Stressing that there will not be any adjournment, the court directed the government to come out with a submission considering that some of the petitioners have spent a lot of time fighting in the court. “So many years have been spent. You should think of the petitioners who are ageing, while taking a decision. They are the permanent victims,” the Chief Justice said. 

The court also orally directed the government to ensure that the KPSC did not repeat such mistakes.