Karnataka Civil Services chief suspended over daughters' fraud govt recruitment

Published 13 July 2026 · politics

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Monday suspended Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar amid a controversy surrounding his daughter's alleged fraudulent government recruitment. The Governor said the suspension, until further notice, was necessary to ensure a fair, impartial and uninfluenced investigation. According to the Governor's Secretariat, multiple complaints alleged that Sahukar had facilitated the unlawful selection of his two daughters in the KPSC recruitment process. Read Full Story The order said that despite his daughters being candidates in the recruitment, Sahukar neither recused himself from the selection process nor formally disclosed a conflict of interest.

The controversy escalated after the police registered an FIR against Sahukar's daughter, Suma, alleging that she secured income and caste certificates by declaring the family's annual income as just Rs 40,000. Investigators claimed that she used the certificates to claim OBC reservation and creamy layer exemption by suppressing material facts, despite her father serving as the KPSC chairman. It further pointed to a Karnataka government order dated March 30, 2002, which bars children of the chairman of a Public Service Commission from availing reservation benefits under the state's backward classes quota. According to the Governor's Secretariat, Sahukar and his daughter concealed this information to obtain an undue advantage during the recruitment process.

With the Governor recommending a presidential reference to the Supreme Court, the top court will now be asked to conduct an enquiry into the allegations against Sahukar under the constitutional provisions governing the removal of Public Service Commission members. Reacting to the development, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the episode had further eroded public confidence in recruitment agencies. "It is very unfortunate that this has happened. There is a huge trust deficit in the Public Service Commission," Kharge said. Calling for sweeping reforms, he added, "We need drastic reforms, considering what happened in the NEET paper leak, considering what happened in CBSE, and more importantly, the doubts cast on the KPSC Chairman are extremely disappointing." Kharge said the Governor's action underscored the need for a broader discussion on improving the functioning of Public Service Commissions across the country.