Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has suspended Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) chairperson Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar pending inquiry over alleged misconduct linked to the illegal selection of his daughter through the commission’s recruitment process. The Governor has also recommended a Presidential reference under Article 317(1) for a Supreme Court inquiry.
The case is important because it concerns the credibility of a constitutional recruitment body, the limits of misconduct by a public office holder, and the procedure for removal of a Public Service Commission chairperson.
Background and earlier position
The Karnataka Public Service Commission is a state constitutional body involved in recruitment to state services. Sahukar was due to retire in 2027. The commission has faced a long history of allegations of nepotism and corruption, and the Karnataka state assembly had already asked a committee to suggest reforms.
The Karnataka Public Service Commission had been operating amid repeated concerns about nepotism and corruption, and the Karnataka state assembly’s reform request shows that recruitment integrity problems existed before the present suspension.
What changed now
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