Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has raised objections to the High Court’s decision to appoint Alok Kumar, a 1994-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre, to head a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged irregularities in Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitments.
The comments came a day after the Karnataka High Court constituted a five-member SIT headed by DGP Alok Kumar to conduct a fresh investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment of 400 Veterinary Officers through the KPSC.
The court declined to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and instead ordered the new SIT to complete its probe within 100 days, with monthly progress reports. The team has also been directed to take over relevant material from the CID and local police and coordinate with the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Shivakumar Questions Naming of Probe Officer
Speaking at a government event in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the government welcomed the court-monitored investigation but questioned whether the High Court could specifically select an IPS officer to lead the probe.
“While we welcome the HC-monitored probe into the KPSC scam, I don’t know whether the HC has any powers to name the IPS officer to lead the investigation.”
He said there had been earlier judgments concerning the appointment of officers to conduct investigations and the procedures governing such decisions.
The Chief Minister further argued that while the High Court could order a separate investigation or monitor an existing probe, directly naming an officer to conduct it raised questions concerning the executive’s role.
“The HC can seek its own probe if it is unhappy with the CID probe or can even make it a court-monitored probe, but naming an officer to conduct the probe is infringing upon the rights of the government and the executive.”
The Karnataka High Court’s September 21 order, however, specifically constituted the five-member SIT under Alok Kumar after declining both continuation of the CID investigation and a transfer of the case to the CBI.
Government Examines Future of KPSC
Alongside his comments on the SIT, Shivakumar said the Karnataka government was examining the legal possibility of shutting down the KPSC.
He said the government was seeking legal options because of what he described as repeated concerns surrounding the constitutional recruitment body.
“We are looking at legal options to close down KPSC. It has become a den of thieves and documents have been recovered which gives evidence of their levels of corruption.”
Shivakumar referred to the conduct of suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar, who is under investigation in connection with alleged recruitment irregularities.
He said the issue concerned the future of students and candidates preparing for government examinations, but acknowledged that closing or restructuring the constitutional body would require a detailed legal assessment.
According to the Chief Minister, any such constitutional change would also require Presidential assent.
What the High Court Ordered
The High Court’s intervention follows petitions alleging serious irregularities in the recruitment of 400 Veterinary Officers.
The five-member SIT headed by Alok Kumar includes four other IPS officers — Dr Divya Gopinath, Anup A Shetty, Kushal Chouksey and Kshama Mishra. The court has given the team a 100-day deadline and directed it to submit progress reports every month.
The court also directed the SIT to coordinate with the ED, which is separately investigating aspects of the alleged recruitment irregularities.
Background to the KPSC Case
The case concerns allegations of manipulation and irregularities in the recruitment examination for 400 Veterinary Officer posts.
Petitions before the High Court alleged irregularities in the selection process and questioned the role of suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar. A September 7 Karnataka High Court order recorded allegations concerning selected candidates and said material placed before the court showed contacts between the suspended chairman and some accused persons and selected candidates. These remain matters under investigation and adjudication.
The High Court, while ordering the fresh SIT investigation, said the recruitment process had to be protected from allegations of corruption, manipulation, nepotism and favouritism and described recruitment irregularities as affecting the constitutional guarantee of equality of opportunity.
The fresh probe will therefore examine the allegations independently of the earlier CID investigation, with the court requiring the investigation to proceed within a defined timeframe.
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