Guv rejects nomination of Sudarshan, three others for KPSC

Governor Vajubhai Vala on Tuesday rejected the State government’s recommendation to appoint former Congress leader V R Sudarshan and three others as Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) chairman and members, respectively.

The Governor had taken objection to the government’s recommendation citing court orders and recommendations of the second Administrative Reforms Commission and advised the government to reconsider its decision. He had directed the government to submit the vigilance report vetted by the Karnataka Lokayukta on all the persons recommended for the appointments.

Dr H Ravikumar, who is the medical advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Syed Ulfath Hussain, retired IPS officer, and K S Mruthyunjaya are three other names rejected by the Governor. But it is not clear on what grounds the Governor has taken the decision. However, Vala recently appointed four others Dr Nagabai B Bulla, Raghunandan Ramanna, Prof H Govindaiah and Michael Simon Baretto as members of the KPSC, as recommended by the government.

The Governor had obtained an inquiry report from Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao on charges of land grabbing and illegal site allotment against Sudarshan. The Lokayukta had given a clean chit to Sudarshan. The BJP had accused Sudarshan of getting a BDA site allotted to him by submitting a false affidavit and grabbing a piece of government land at Vemagal in Kolar. 

The government had recommended the eight names in December last year.