Karnataka KPSC Chairman suspended over daughters’ recruitment allegations

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot suspended KPSC Chairman Shivshankrappa S. Sahukar over allegations of facilitating his daughters' appointments as Industrial Extension Officers and recommended a Supreme Court inquiry under Article 317(1), pending further orders from the President

Bengaluru: Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Chairman Shivshankrappa S. Sahukar has been placed under suspension by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Monday, pending further orders from the President of India, following allegations of misconduct related to the recruitment of his two daughters as Industrial Extension Officers.

According to an official statement issued by Special Secretary to the Governor R. Prabhushankar, the Governor has also recommended to the President that the matter be referred to the Supreme Court under Article 317(1) of the Constitution of India for an inquiry into the allegations against the KPSC Chairman.

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The complaints alleged that Sahukar facilitated the selection of his two daughters for the posts of Industrial Extension Officer in an unlawful manner.

According to the complaint, one of the Chairman’s daughters obtained an income and caste certificate by declaring the family’s annual income as Rs 40,000. It is alleged that she claimed reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and secured exemption from the creamy layer criteria by suppressing material facts and submitting a manipulated lower-income declaration despite the family’s income allegedly exceeding the prescribed limit.

The complaint also states that she was fully aware that her father was serving as the Chairman of the Karnataka Public Service Commission.

The complaint further contends that, under the Government Order dated March 3, 2002, children of the Chairman of a Public Service Commission are not eligible to claim reservation under the Backward Classes quota in Karnataka.

It alleges that despite this restriction, the Chairman and his daughter suppressed material information to obtain undue benefits, an act that, according to the complaint, could not have occurred without administrative oversight or deliberate negligence at the highest level of the Commission.

The statement also notes that the income and property returns submitted by the Chairman, along with other documentary records, prima facie point towards misconduct on his part.

In view of the seriousness of the allegations, the Governor has recommended that the President refer the matter to the Supreme Court for an inquiry under Article 317(1) of the Constitution.

To ensure a fair, impartial and uninfluenced investigation while safeguarding the integrity and credibility of the Karnataka Public Service Commission, the Governor has placed Sahukar under suspension until further orders from the President of India.

The Governor has also directed that the senior-most member of the Karnataka Public Service Commission shall discharge the functions of the Chairman until further orders, the statement added.