Bengaluru, August 18: The Karnataka High Court has granted significant relief to Shivshankarappa B. Sahuakar, the Chairman of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), by overturning his suspension. The ruling was made by a bench led by Justice Suraj Govindaraj during a hearing on a petition challenging the suspension order issued by Governor Thawarchand Gehlot on July 10.
The High Court stated that the suspension order was not legally sustainable, as the cabinet had neither recommended nor suggested the suspension of the KPSC chairman. The court clarified that the governor should have acted in accordance with the cabinet’s decision. Based on this reasoning, the court annulled the suspension order.
The court directed the relevant authorities to reinstate Sahuakar to his position as KPSC chairman within seven days. However, it also specified that Sahuakar should not make any decisions related to the appointment of his daughters.
Senior advocate Arun Shyam, representing Sahuakar, argued that the suspension did not comply with legal provisions. In the petition, Sahuakar contended that under Article 317(1) of the Constitution, the governor does not have the authority to suspend him until the President refers the matter to the Supreme Court upon the governor’s recommendation.
This decision comes at a time when controversies surrounding irregularities in the KPSC recruitment process are ongoing. An investigation is also underway regarding discrepancies in the recruitment of veterinary officers.
On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at 21 locations in Karnataka and Ahmedabad. This action was taken in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment of veterinary officers by the KPSC.
The ED team from the Bengaluru zonal office launched the search operation under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The locations raided included the KPSC office, the residence of suspended chairman Sahuakar, the home of KPSC member Shanta Hosamani, broker locations, the premises of selected candidates, and the office of Edutest Solutions Private Limited, which handles the digital evaluation of examination answer sheets.
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