Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Friday set aside the direction issued by the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) to the State government to issue appointment orders to 362 candidates selected to the posts of Gazetted Probationers Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) in the 2011 batch.
The court also restored the government’s August 14, 2014 order where it had chosen to close the selection process by withdrawing its 2011 notifications to the KPSC to select candidates to the 362 posts. The court quashed the appointment orders issued by the government to some of the candidates based on KAT’s direction.
A Division Bench, comprising Justices H.G. Ramesh and P.S. Dinesh Kumar, delivered the verdict while allowing PIL petitions, filed by unsuccessful candidates — Renukambike R. and 10 others.
“The Criminal Investigation Department investigation report, prima facie discloses that there are sufficient reasons to believe that the selection process was not inviolable,” the Bench said, while observing that “if the judicial pronouncement by the administrative tribunal is given effect to, it would compel the State government to appoint candidates selected by a committee [of KPSC] of questionable reputation.”
The Bench made it clear that the selection made by KPSC is only recommendatory in nature. The government may reject the recommendations, subject to compliance of Article 323(2) of the Constitution.
