Karnataka High Court Stays KPSC Resolution Demanding Chairman Sahukar Resign

The Karnataka High Court in Bengaluru has stayed a resolution passed by 11 members of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) demanding the resignation of Chairman Shiva Shankarappa S Sahukar. The court order on Friday came as the commission's secretary separately approached the Vidhana Soudha police in the city to register a case against the chairman's daughter.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj passed the interim order after hearing a petition filed by Shiva Shankarappa, who challenged the resolution dated June 19. The resolution had urged the chairman to resign, asserting he should take moral responsibility for his daughter allegedly declaring an incorrect family income while applying for a government job. The members had also resolved to run the commission's operations in his absence under the senior-most member.

Representing the petitioner, senior advocate Arun Shyam argued that the 11 KPSC members had acted high-handedly and without any authority under the law when they passed the resolution. He stated that the commission's secretary had forwarded the report of the meeting's proceedings to the Chief Secretary and the Governor, which violated Section 7 of the KPSC (Conduct of Business and Additional Functions) Act, 1959.

Arun Shyam further argued that under Section 11 of the Act, the secretary is not permitted to forward any proposal or report without a direct directive from the commission. He noted that Shiva Shankarappa was appointed as the KPSC chairman by the Governor under Article 316 of the Constitution.

In a separate action on Friday, the KPSC secretary wrote to the Vidhana Soudha police to seek a case against the chairman's daughter, Suma. The complaint alleges that Suma declared her family's annual income to be Rs 40,000 on her job application. However, her father draws a monthly salary of Rs 2.25 lakh in addition to other allowances as the KPSC chairman.