Questions over KPSC chief’s appointment 

BENGALURU: The Karnataka Public Service Commission, the body that recruits KAS, KSPS and other top officers of Karnataka, got a new chairman on Monday. Shivashankarappa Sahukar was sworn in after the previous chairman, Shadakshara Swamy, retired on Saturday. It was at the sendoff for Shadakshara Swamy at KK Guest house at 6 pm Saturday, that Shivashankarappa’s appointment letter was ready, in record time. As per protocol, the order was signed by the Governor. 

TNIE has, meanwhile, accessed an office order which specifies that Shiva Shankarappa, a contractual employee of National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), was discharged from service in 2010-2011. The office order, dating 18 March, 2010, and signed by the chief executive of NCUI. “It has been observed that the work performance of Shri Shivashankarappa, FGI, National Cooperative Union of India, Education Field Project, Gulbarga, is not found satisfactory, and he is not punctual. Therefore, this union has decided not to extend the contractual period of Shri Shivashankarappa from 1.4.2010. He is advised to hand over complete charge of FGI to project officer I/C,’’ the office order says. 

Since the KPSC is a statutory body, the Constitution specifies in Articles 315 and 316 about public service commissions and who can be appointed to them. The body currently has 14 members, including the chairman. When TNIE contacted KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa, he wanted to know who had given the letter and whether there was a covering letter. “Who gave the letter, do you have a record?’’ he sought to know, and on hearing the contents of the letter read out on phone, said, “Let us see what happens in the coming days.’’

Reacting to this, a senior retired bureaucrat said, “It’s sad, a wrong appointment made had destroyed the KPSC for six years.” Another retired bureaucrat echoed him, terming the issue “very sad”. Dwarakanath, former chairman of the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission, rued the fact that the appointed person is “grossly underqualified and was even discharged under unhappy circumstances”. Retired IAS officer T S Raghunandan, of Ipaidabribe.com fame, termed the appointment “improper”.