In a first in the history of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has suspended KPSC Chairperson Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar, pending an inquiry, for alleged misconduct linked to the illegal selection of his daughter through the KPSC recruitment process. The Governor has recommended to the President of India to make a reference to the Supreme Court of India under Article 317(1) of the Constitution for an inquiry into the allegations.
“To further ensure a fair, impartial and uninfluenced investigation while protecting the integrity and credibility of KPSC, the Governor has placed the Chairman under suspension until further orders from the President’s office,” read a statement from Karnataka Lok Bhavan on July 13.
The Governor has directed the senior-most member of the Commission to function as the Acting Chairperson until further orders from the President of India.
Mr. Sahukar, who was appointed to the commission as a member in 2019, was elevated to the post of Chairperson on April 5, 2021. He was due to retire in 2027.
Dr. B. Prabhudev, who was appointed on April 9, 2021, is the senior-most member of the Commission after Mr. Sahukar.
The KPSC conducts competitive examinations and recommends the list of successful candidates to the government of Karnataka in recruitment for Group A, B and C posts in State civil services. It is not for the first time that the KPSC is in the news for the wrong reasons. Over the last two decades, KPSC has been in the news over allegations of nepotism, corruption and recruitment scams in selection of candidates. Currently, a 11-member committee of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, headed by R.V. Deshpande, has been asked to recommend measures to prevent irregularities and overhaul the KPSC.
Vidhana Soudha police registered an FIR against Suma S. Sahukar on July 10 for allegedly claiming reservation benefits under the 3B category by producing an Income and Asset Certificate that declared her family’s annual income as ₹40,000 to facilitate selection for the post of Junior Engineer (Civil) in the Department of Industries & Commerce in March 2024. She had secured the 3B certificate for reservation on March 3, 2020.
The other daughter, Anuradha Sahukar, who is married, has been selected in the Hyderabad-Karnataka cadre in general merit category.
The FIR was registered based on a complaint from KPSC, after verification revealed that the income certificate was false; during the selection process, the candidate’s father, Shivashankrappa S. Sahukar, was the Chairperson of KPSC, a constitutional post, drawing a monthly salary of ₹2.25 lakh, apart from other allowances. Being a dependent of her father, she falls in the creamy layer category with an annual income above ₹8 lakh.
The KPSC resolved to debar Ms. Suma permanently from any other recruitment process.
The KPSC had invoked Rule 20 of the Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) Rules, 1977, for misconduct that includes impersonation, or submitting fabricated documents, or documents that have been tampered with, or making statements which are incorrect or false, or of suppressing material information, which is liable for criminal action, be debarred either permanently or for a specific period of time.
On July 10, the High Court of Karnataka stayed a resolution passed in KPSC by other members on June 19 asking the Chairperson to resign taking moral responsibility over his daughter’s alleged illegal selection for a post while he was Chairperson.
According to a statement from the Governor’s Secretariat, Lok Bhavan had received complaints that the Chairperson facilitated the illegal selection of his two daughters to the posts of Industrial Extension Officers in an unlawful manner. The Governor’s Secretariat said the Chairperson failed to recuse himself, or formally declare a conflict of interest, while his direct dependents participated in the KPSC recruitment process.
It further stated that one of his daughters obtained an income and caste certificate declaring the family’s annual income as ₹40,000, and claimed OBC reservation and creamy layer exemption despite the family’s income allegedly exceeding the prescribed limit. It stated that, under a Karnataka government order dated March 30, 2002, children of the Chairperson of a Public Service Commission are not eligible to claim reservation under the backward classes quota.
The Governor’s Secretariat stated that the alleged suppression of material facts, supported by the Chairperson’s income and property returns and other records, amounted to “misbehaviour” warranting action under the Constitution.
Published - July 13, 2026 11:21 am IST