No word from Raj Bhavan on KPSC chief post: CS

Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee on Thursday said there was no communication from the Raj Bhavan regarding the government’s recommendation to appoint V R Sudarshan as the chairman of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC).

“The government has been informed by the Raj Bhavan that four persons recommended by the government have been appointed as KPSC members. We have not received any information on four others, including Sudarshan,” he said.

It is said the governor has not taken any decision on the appointment of the rest four, including Sudarshan, to the commission.

The Raj Bhavan on Wednesday appointed Dr Nagabai B Bulla, Raghunandan Ramanna, Prof H Govindaiah and Michael Simon Baretto as members of the KPSC, as recommended by the government. Three other names recommended for appointment as KPSC members are Dr H Ravikumar, K S Mruthyunjaya and Syed Ulfath Hussain.

The governor had in January sent back the file pertaining to the appointment to the government, directing it to submit a vigilance report vetted by the Lokayukta. The Opposition BJP had urged the governor to reject the recommendations on the grounds that they were ineligible.

The BJP had accused Sudharshan of encroaching on government land in Vemgal in Kolar district. The party had also charged him with submitting false affidavit to the Bangalore Development Authority to get a ‘G’ category site in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, a petition has been submitted to Governor Vaju Bhai Vala against Prof H Govindaiah by private persons. Govindaiah has been facing a Lokayukta probe for misappropriation of funds and providing a false caste certificate for his wife.

The petition recounts the details of his case and cites that such persons should not be appointed as members to KPSC.