Action against 'tainted' KPSC members soon, government tells High Court

The State government on Monday told the High Court that it would soon initiate action against the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) members indicted by the CID in its report on irregularities in the recruitment of gazetted probationers.

Advocate General Ravivarma Kumar informed the Court that the chief minister would soon meet the governor in connection with the sanction to prosecute the KPSC members indicted by the CID. The meeting was scheduled for Monday. The court was hearing a PIL filed by activist T J Abraham seeking action against KPSC members facing charges of irregularities in appointments.

Earlier, senior counsel Udaya Holla, appearing for the petitioners, pointed out that these members continue in power despite the CID indicting them in its report. Senior counsel Nanjunda Reddy, appearing for the respondents, (KPSC members) submitted that except for allegations that some students who appeared for examination called them over their mobile phone, there were no serious charges against them. The allegation that these members changed answer scripts is far from truth as they were no way connected with the evaluation, he said.

However when the counsel for petitioners pointed to the CID report, the acting Chief Justice S K Mukherjee sought to know: “Why the action against these members has been delayed? why can't you suspend them?.”

The advocate general submitted that the members were more powerful than the High Court judges and that the government had already suspended a member.

“We have written to governor to initiate action against others and are waiting for Governor’s response. We have appointed four new members to the Commission,” he said. The division bench comprising acting Justices Mukherjee and B V Nagarathna adjourned the matter.