Karnataka High Court seeks state’s reply to plea seeking CBI probe into ‘irregularities’ in KPSC recruitments

View of Karnataka High Court.

The Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to file its reply to a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations of illegal recruitment by the Karnataka State Public Service Commission (KPSC) to the posts of probationary officers in Group A and B and allegations against Shivashankar S Sahukar, the suspended chairman.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order on a petition filed by MLA Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal and All Karnataka State Students’ Association, Bengaluru.

Transfer wanted

The petitioners have also sought the transfer of a First Information Report (FIR), registered on July 10 on a KPSC complaint, against Suma S. Sahukar, daughter of Mr. Sahukar, for submitting a caste certificate declaring “false” family income while applying for recruitment to the post of Industrial Extension Officer, Group ‘C’ post.

It was alleged that Ms. Suma’s income certificate showed that her family’s annual income was only ₹40,000 when Mr. Sahukar, who was initially appointed as KPSC member in September 2019 and later appointed chairman in April 2021, was drawing a basic salary of more than ₹2,000 per month plus allowances.

Meanwhile, the court gave them the freedom to move the court if necessary or the state to try to set up and transfer the FIR to the SIT during the hearing of the petition.

‘eyewash’

It was argued on behalf of the petitioners that the FIR “is nothing more than an optical exercise – an eyewash designed to create an illusion of institutional responsiveness while leaving the real allegations untouched”.

The petition, filed through advocate Girish Bharadwaj, pointed out that the state police had only provisionally confirmed the complaints filed by the association on July 3 against two KPSC members on allegations of corruption and the selection of Mr. Sahukar’s daughters instead of registering an FIR.

It was therefore submitted on behalf of the petitioners that the investigation deserves to be taken out of the hands of the state machinery and entrusted to the CBI, especially in view of the checkered history of controversies that have engulfed the KPSC from time to time.

“Nothing could be more worrisome, if the allegations ultimately stand up to scrutiny, than the projection of such an abysmally low income by the head of an independent constitutional institution. Such a claim on the face of it not only raises disbelief but raises serious questions about the transparency, credibility and institutional purity of the recruitment process itself,” the court said.

While the court pointed out that “constitutional institutions derive their legitimacy not from the text of the constitution alone, but from the unshakable public trust they command,” it said that “any claim that casts a shadow on that trust requires scrutiny with the seriousness it deserves.

Published – 22 Jul 2026 0:46 IST