90% of drug inspector posts in Karnataka lying vacant as SC stays recruitment

The recruitment of drug inspectors in Karnataka, initiated five years ago, is stuck again as the Supreme Court has stayed the process and the state government has sought more time to respond in court. 

Only 11 out of 113 drug inspector positions in the state are occupied now, and some of these inspectors are also set to get promoted in the next few months. With this, the state will hardly have any drug inspectors left to monitor drug manufacturing units, pharma outlets, blood banks, etc. 

The recruitment process was started in 2018 and a list of 66 selected candidates was released in 2021. But they were not appointed as 17 other candidates challenged the appointments. 

Past experience

The Drugs Control Department had mandated that the candidates have drug manufacturing/testing experience, along with a BPharm degree. However, the 17 candidates questioned the need for drug manufacturing/testing experience in the high court. This March, the high court ordered in favour of these candidates and asked the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) to redo the selection list. 

This would mean interviewing candidates again, and the KPSC was supposed to complete the process within three months (June-end). 

But by then, the previously selected 66 candidates approached the Supreme Court, seeking their conditional appointment. On July 24, the Supreme Court stayed the HC order, because of which the KPSC would be unable to redo the recruitment process. 

The SC also ordered the state government to respond in the matter. But in the last hearing on August 28, the government only sought more time to respond. It has not clarified whether it agrees with the conditional appointment of the 66 selected candidates or if it wants to redo the interview process. 

"Our functioning is 100 per cent affected due to the lack of drug inspectors," State Drugs Controller Bhagoji Khanapure says, adding there is no clarity on when the appointments will happen.