Karnataka High Court Questions Former KPSC Chief Daughter Over Alleged Reservation Certificate Misuse

The Karnataka High Court has raised sharp questions while hearing a case involving the daughter of former Karnataka Public Service Commission chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar. The court examined allegations that she submitted an incorrect income declaration to claim benefits under the 3B reservation category, observing that such an act could have deprived a genuinely eligible candidate of an opportunity.

The case came up before Justice M Nagaprasanna during the hearing of a petition seeking to quash an FIR registered against Suma Sahukar. The petition challenges allegations that she obtained reservation benefits by declaring an annual family income of only Rs 40000 despite claims that her family’s actual income was significantly higher.

During the proceedings, the court questioned how such a declaration could have been made when her father was serving as the chairman of the Karnataka Public Service Commission. The judge remarked that if the family’s annual income was around Rs 25 lakh, declaring it as Rs 40000 would amount to a clear case of misrepresentation. The court also questioned why a detailed inquiry was even necessary if the available records already indicated such a large difference in the income figures.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that the income mentioned in the application referred only to Suma Sahukar’s personal income and not the family’s total earnings. However, the High Court did not accept this argument. It clarified that eligibility under the 3B reservation category is determined on the basis of family income and not an individual’s personal income.

The bench further observed that if a candidate had secured reservation benefits through an incorrect declaration, it could have directly affected another deserving applicant from a financially weaker background. The judge asked whether the chance of a poor candidate had been unfairly taken away because of the alleged false declaration.

The lawyer representing the petitioner also informed the court that Suma Sahukar had withdrawn her candidature before the final selection list was published. Responding to this submission, the court said that withdrawing later does not answer the fundamental question of why she participated in the recruitment process under the disputed reservation category in the first place.

According to the allegations, the controversy relates to the recruitment process for the post of Industrial Extension Officer. It has been claimed that the former KPSC chairman helped his two daughters during the recruitment process. One of them allegedly obtained an income and caste certificate by declaring the family’s annual income as Rs 40000, enabling her to claim reservation benefits and exemption under the creamy layer criteria. The complaint also alleges that the fact that her father was serving as the KPSC chairman at the time was not disclosed.

The High Court has not delivered a final verdict in the matter. However, its observations during the hearing have drawn attention to the importance of transparency in recruitment processes and the proper use of reservation benefits intended for genuinely eligible candidates.