Governor suspends KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar over recruitment row
Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Monday suspended the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Chairman, Shivashankarappa S Sahukar, in Bengaluru. The suspension follows allegations that Sahukar facilitated the unlawful selection of his two daughters for government posts and failed to disclose a conflict of interest.
According to a statement issued by Lok Bhavan, Sahukar failed to recuse himself or formally declare a conflict of interest while his dependents participated in the KPSC selection process. Complaints received by the Governor alleged that Sahukar facilitated the illegal selection of his daughters to the posts of Industrial Extension Officer.
One of Sahukar’s daughters allegedly obtained an income and caste certificate by declaring a family income of Rs 40,000 per annum. The Governor stated this evidence indicates she claimed an Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation and Creamy Layer exemption by deliberately suppressing facts and using manipulated lower-income declarations, despite her family income being above the prescribed limit and her father serving as the head of the Commission.
Under a 2002 government order, children of the KPSC chairman are ineligible to claim reservations under the backward classes quota. The statement from the Governor's office noted that the chairman and his daughters suppressed this vital information to gain an undue benefit, calling it an act impossible without administrative oversight or deliberate blindness by the head of the Commission.
The Governor's office added that the income and property returns submitted by Sahukar, along with other facts, point to misbehaviour. Consequently, Governor Gehlot has recommended to the President of India to make a reference to the Supreme Court of India under Article 371(1) of the Constitution of India for a necessary inquiry into the allegations.
To ensure a fair, impartial, and uninfluenced investigation, the Governor suspended Sahukar and ordered that the next senior-most member of the Commission act as the KPSC Chairman until further orders.
The suspension follows the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) last Friday against Suma S Sahukar, Sahukar's daughter, who had applied for a junior engineer post in the Department of Commerce and Industries. The FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by the KPSC assistant secretary.
Sahukar was originally appointed as the chairman of the KPSC in 2021.
