Karnataka: Over 2,000 posts lie vacant as KPSC chairman, secretary tussle for power

A tug-of-war between the chairman and the secretary of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) has delayed recruitment to over 2,000 government vacancies, leaving the fate of job-seekers hanging in the balance.

The matter recently came to public notice when a youth during a recent protest outside the KPSC accused the commission, whose job is to make recruitments to various civil services, of getting mired in its own internal conflicts with at least seven of its 12 members boycotting commission activities. Accusing the commission of “auctioning” posts starting from Group-D to Group-A for crores of rupees, the protester, R Kanthakumar, also demanded the removal of KPSC Chairman Sivashankarappa S Sahukar.

Over 2,000 vacancies yet to be filled

Kanthakumar, also the president of the All Karnataka State Student Association, said the internal discord has not only impacted the submission of applications for numerous jobs but also left thousands of job aspirants in a state of uncertainty. Kanthakumar on Friday (January 12) protested outside the Udyoga Soudha, the official building of the KPSC, by breaking eggs and pots. He was later arrested by Bengaluru's Cubbon Park police.

“Instead of one year, the KPSC is taking five years to fill each post. It has been two years since the examination for 15 notifications took place. But KPSC has not declared the results yet. The commission chairman should be evicted immediately," Kanthakumar told the media before his arrest. He said that aspirants will continue to protest against the commission.

Chairman vs secretary: What triggered the clash?

The internal clash in the commission broke out when its current secretary reportedly refused to issue appointment order to the candidate selected for the post of Head of Legal Cell (HLC) by a three-member committee headed by the commission chairman.

While refusing to approve the appointment, commission secretary Latha Kumari (IAS) had stated that chairman Sahukar did not follow commission guidelines in the recruitment process. She had later issued a new order for the recruitment process.

Taking exception to the secretary’s decision, the chairman, in a press release, accused her of “misusing” her powers in the appointment process.

“By withdrawing the previously issued notification for the post of Head of Law Cell (HLC) and issuing a new notification, the secretary has misused her powers," Sahukar said in the press release. “The secretary is violating all rules. The Administrative Reforms Department and the Chief Secretary should pay attention to this," he said.

Sources, however, say that the recruitment process for the HLC post was not done transparently, prompting Latha Kumari to refuse to consent to the recruitment. They say the former HLC SH Hosagoudar was allegedly pressured by Sahukar to tender his resignation, following which the latter had issued fresh notification for recruitment to the post.

Why didn't secretary sign HLC appointment order?

According to sources, while the commission received a total of 16 applications for the HLC post, two were submitted after the deadline. Sahukar reportedly formed a selection panel comprising three members including himself. Of the 16 candidates, the committee rejected two applications and did not interview as many. Ten candidates were selected by the committee and interviewed. The committee then sent a file to the secretary, seeking immediate appointment of a candidate selected by it.

However, KPSC rules mandate the selection committee making the recruitment to submit details of the interview, the evaluation process and the marks obtained by all interviewed candidates. Citing the same, Latha Kumari returned the file saying the interview was not conducted as per the rules of the commission. She also said that the selection committee was not formed according to the rules laid down by the commission as it mandates the panel to have a woman, a SC/ST member and another member secretary to be in the selection committee, sources said.

The chairman and some members of the commission objected to the secretary’s move saying she had no authority to question the decision of the commission. They alleged that Latha Kumari had been acting like a “superior” and asserted that the candidate picked by the selection panel headed by Sahukar be appointed to the post of the HLC. Seven of the 12 KPSC members including the chairman decided to stay away from the meetings of the commission and sign any files (including those related to notifications and results) until the appointment order was implemented by the secretary.

After waiting for a couple of days and left with no option, the KPSC secretary withdrew the notification issued on November 15, 2023 (for appointment of HLC) and issued a fresh notification on January 9, 2024.

Divided commission

The KPSC chairman and few members took this as a prestige issue and held an emergency meeting without the secretary on the same day (January 9), resolving not to accept the fresh notification issued by her. While KPSC chairman Sahukar and members Vijaykumar Kuchanure, M B Heggannavar, Dr Shantha Hosamani, Dr H S Narendra, B V Geetha and Mustafa Hussein Sayyed Azeez gave it in writing that they will not attend any meeting until the secretary issues the appointment order to the HLC appointed by the KPSC chairman, five other members did not sign the resolution.

However, sources say the emergency meeting of January 9 is invalid as it was held in the absence of the secretary.

Internal clash stalls recruitments

The boycott led to the cancellation of several meetings of the commission and its sub-committees. The secretary also reportedly withheld the job notification for over 1,000 vacant posts and suspended nine departmental proposals, increasing the worries of job seekers.

The commission has also decided not to approve the secretary’s proposal for recruitment to around 2,000 posts in Group A, B, C and D till the government gives its nod on the same. The commission, on the other hand, has also declined to issue notification for the same 2,000 jobs from its own end.