The State Cabinet on Wednesday did a U-turn of its 2014 decision by giving green signal for recruitment of all 362 gazetted probationers, group A and B, belonging to the 2011 batch finalised by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC).
The Cabinet accepted the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) order that quashed the State government’s order annulling selection of 362 candidates.
Citing “rampant corruption” in the selection of candidates, in 2014, the Cabinet had rejected the list of appointments. The Criminal Investigation Department conducted a probe and submitted a 26-page report to the government highlighting the malpractices in the examination system.
Briefing decisions taken at a Cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra said: “We have gone by the KAT judgement. The Cabinet has decided not to appeal against the order. The Cabinet has taken a conscious decision after a lot of deliberations.”
Janata Dal (S) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had lent his support to the agitation against the 2014 decision to scarp the final list of probationer officers. Some of the 362 KAS aspirants had launched indefinite hunger strike opposing the Cabinet’s decision to cancel the selection of gazetted officers posts.
The government had filed criminal cases against KPSC members, including the former chairman Gonal Bhimappa.
Mangala Sridhar, member, was suspended on the charge of corruption. Following discrepancies in the allotment of marks during interviews, the government suggested to the KPSC to conduct re-evaluation and also interviews again. But the KPSC rejected it on the ground that it was a constitutional body. Mr. Jayachandra said the allegations of malpractices during personality tests were not proved. The State has been facing severe shortage of KAS officers and no officer was recruited after 2011.
