The Karnataka High Court has ordered issue of notice to the State and the police in a petition filed by Mangala Sridhar, a member of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), challenging a criminal case registered against her in connection with the alleged irregularities in the selection process for Group “A” and “B” gazetted probationers posts.
While describing the allegation of demand for bribe from a candidate as “tainted with malice”, the petitioner has sought a direction from the court to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered against her by the police.
The petitioner has been arraigned as accused number four in the FIR for allegedly demanding Rs. 75 lakh from a candidate, H.P.S. Mythri, a dentist, and “allocating fewer marks to Dr. Mythri than another candidate as she [Dr. Mythri] did not pay the money.”
In her two representations submitted to the State Advocate-General on May 24 and 28, 2013, Dr. Mythri has alleged that the petitioner had contacted her on mobile phone on March 20, 22, 23, 26, and on May 6 this year and demanded Rs.75 lakh.
However, the petitioner pointed out that Dr. Mythri gave her representations only after getting to know that the marks awarded to her in the interview was fewer than the marks awarded to another candidate who became eligible for selection. While the interview of Dr. Mythri was held on May 10 and marks were announced the same day, the interview of the other candidate was held on May 21.
“If Dr. Mythri’s intention was to bring out the alleged corrupt practices prevailing in the KPSC, she could have lodged a complaint or made the representation much before she got to know of her marks and that of her competitor. If the allegations attributed [to the petitioner] were true, then Dr. Mythri could have assisted the investigating agency to catch the petitioner red-handed rather than giving representation after the marks were made known to her,” Ms. Sridhar contended in the petition.
Denying any role in the alleged irregularities in the process of appointment, the petitioner claimed that she did not know of the mobile number of Dr. Mythri to contact her. The act of Dr. Mythri in not registering any complaint with the police, but giving representations to the Advocate-General is “filled with malice,” the petition said.
Justice K.N. Keshavanarayana, who heard the petition, ordered issue of notice to Dr. Mythri.
