High court declines to vacate stay on KPSC appointments of 2011

The High Court of Karnataka on Friday refused to vacate the stay granted on the appointment of Group A and B  gazetted probationers selected by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) in 2011.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar, which was on the verge of vacating the stay, refused to do so after being informed of the CID investigation into the job scam. The bench said, “If the appointments are made to the candidates, who have been selected by the tainted selectors, that would be prejudice to the institution (sic).”

The 2011 batch candidates, including those who have been appointed, have challenged the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) order which directed the government to go ahead with the appointment of candidates to 362 posts. Petitioners have contended that the KAT ordered the government to go ahead with the appointments despite large scale irregularities in the selection process, in which KPSC members were involved.

The petitioners have questioned the state government’s stand in the matter contending that it was the state government which had conducted a CID investigation into the matter and found mass malpractice in the selection process. They have said that tainted candidates were given appointments, but now the government is blindly following the KAT orders.  

The bench in the order said, “It is peculiar that instead of supporting their own order dated August 14, 2014 (government had directed to close the recruitment process), the state wants to issue appointments in terms of the order of the Tribunal (sic).” The bench refused to vacate the stay granted on the appointment and ordered notice to state government.