KPSC chairman suspended for ‘illegal selection’ of daughters in government services

In a first in the history of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has suspended KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar, pending an investigation, for alleged misconduct related to the illegal selection of his daughter through the KPSC recruitment process. The Governor advised the President of India to approach the Supreme Court of India under Article 317(1) of the Constitution to investigate the allegations.

“To further ensure a fair, impartial and unbiased investigation while protecting the integrity and credibility of the KPSC, the Governor has suspended the Chairman pending further orders from the President’s office,” a July 13 Karnataka Lok Bhavan statement said.

The Governor directed the senior most member of the Commission to function as Acting Chairman until further orders from the President of India.

Mr. Sahukar, who was appointed as a member of the commission in 2019, was elevated to the post of chairman on April 5, 2021. He was due to retire in 2027.

Dr. B. Prabhudev, who was appointed on April 9, 2021, is the most senior member of the Commission after Mr. Sahukar.

KPSC conducts competitive examinations and recommends the list of successful candidates to the Government of Karnataka for recruitment to Group A, B and C posts in the State Civil Services. This is not the first time that KPSC is in the news for the wrong reasons. Over the last two decades, KPSC has been in the news for allegations of nepotism, corruption and recruitment scams in the selection of candidates. Currently, an 11-member committee of the Karnataka legislature headed by RV Deshpande has been asked to recommend measures to prevent irregularities and overhaul the KPSC.

FIR and HC relief

The Vidhana Soudha police registered an FIR against Suma S. Sahukar on July 10 for allegedly claiming reservation benefits in category 3B by submitting an income and asset certificate declaring her family’s annual income of ₹40,000 to facilitate selection for the post of Junior Engineer (Civil) in the Ministry of Industries and Commerce4 in March, securing reservation3 on March 20. 2020.

The other daughter, Anuradha Sahukar, who is married, was selected for the Hyderabad-Karnataka cadre in the general merit category.

The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint by the KPSC after verification revealed that the income certificate was fake; during the selection process, the candidate’s father, Shivashankrappa S. Sahukar, was the chairman of KPSC, a constitutional post, drawing a monthly salary of 2.25 lakh, apart from other allowances. Being dependent on her father, she falls in the creamy layer category with an annual income of more than ₹8,000.

KPSC has decided to permanently bar Ms. Sum from any further recruitment process.

The KPSC invoked Rule 20 of the Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) Rules, 1977 for misconduct which includes impersonation or submission of fictitious or tampered with documents or statements which are incorrect or false or concealment of material information liable to prosecution, either permanently or for a period of time.

On 10 July, the Karnataka High Court stayed the resolution passed in the KPSC by other members on 19 June asking the chairman to resign and take moral responsibility for the alleged illegal selection of his daughter for the post while he was chairman.

“Inappropriate Conduct Warranting Action”

According to a statement from the Governor’s Secretariat, the Lok Bhavan had received complaints that the Chairman had illegally facilitated the illegal selection of his two daughters for the posts of Industrial Extension Officers. The governor’s secretariat said the chairman failed to recuse himself or formally declare a conflict of interest while his direct dependents participated in the KPSC recruitment process.

He further stated that one of his daughters obtained an income certificate and caste certificate stating an annual family income of ₹40,000 and claimed exemption from OBC and creamy layer reservation, even though the family’s income was said to be over the prescribed limit. It said that as per the Government of Karnataka order dated March 30, 2002, the children of the Chairman of the Public Service Commission are not eligible for reservation under the Backward Classes Quota.

The governor’s office said the alleged suppression of material facts, evidenced by the chairman’s income and asset declarations and other records, amounted to “misconduct” warranting action under the Constitution.

Published – 13 Jul 2026 11:21 IST