The Supreme Court on Friday issued to the Karnataka government, Lokayukta and others on a plea by a woman assistant public prosecutor and others against disciplinary proceedings initiated against them by Upalokayukta for alleged corrupt practices adopted in the recruitment process in 2013 on the basis of a report prepared by it.
A bench presided over by Justice L Nageswara Rao decided to examine the special leave petition filed by Sarojini Veerappa Batakurki and others challenging the Karnataka High Court's orders of May 14, 2020, and June 28, 2021, dismissing their plea.
The petitioners, led by senior advocate Basava Prabhu Patil and advocates Chinmay Deshpande and Anirudh Sanganeria, contended that the power under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act cannot be exercised against them as they were not public servants at the time of the alleged act.
Their plea also said the High Court failed to appreciate that summons issued against them by a trial court on the basis of a supplementary charge sheet was stayed, though the case was registered on the basis of Upalokayukta report of June 28, 2018.
It also submitted the disciplinary proceedings by Upalokayukta at the behest its own report would be farcical in nature and cause grave injustice to her.
The Upalokayukta ought not to have taken suo motu cognizance in the matter due to the absence of specific allegations or complaint against the selected candidates, it added.
The proceedings in the matter were initiated following a private complaint filed by H T Ravi, an unsuccessful candidate in 2014 alleging Chandrashekar Hiremath, then director of prosecution and another staff were involved in corruption in recruitment of assistant public prosecutors.
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(Published 17 September 2021, 13:11 IST)
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