High Court reserves order on SIT formation for November 2

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Friday reserved its order for November 2 on the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged scam in the recruitment of veterinary officers through the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC).

A division of the proceedings before Justice M. Nagaprasanna saw objections raised by advocate Girish Bharadwaj, representing the petitioners, to the officers proposed by the state government for the SIT.

Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty informed the court that the SIT had been accorded the status of a police station. The court then sought details from the government on the number of officers holding the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) in Karnataka.The Advocate General said the state had 16 ADGP-rank officers. He submitted that the government had proposed four officers in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions, and that the petitioners had agreed to two of them.

After hearing the submissions and objections concerning the proposed SIT composition, the High Court reserved its order until November 2.The hearing comes a day after the Supreme Court modified an earlier Karnataka High Court order directing an SIT headed by senior police officer Alok Kumar to investigate the KPSC veterinary recruitment scam. The apex court asked the High Court to consider appointing alternative officers in place of two members of the proposed team, including Alok Kumar.

The recruitment controversy has triggered a major political and administrative debate, with the former KPSC chairman himself having been arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment-related cases. The proposed SIT is expected to investigate the allegations

surrounding the selection of veterinary officers.