Karnataka High Court Declines to Quash Fraud Case Against Former KPSC Chairman's Daughter
The Karnataka High Court on Monday refused to quash a criminal case against Suma S Sahukar, daughter of suspended Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar, observing that her alleged false income declaration under the 3B reservation category amounted to an eyewash and fraud.
Suma, who faces charges under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhitha related to forgery and using a forged document as genuine, had approached the court earlier this month seeking to quash the FIR registered against her.
During the hearing, Justice M Nagaprasanna orally remarked, “A genuine candidate whose annual income could be Rs 40,000 or below, could have participated in the examination; you have stolen away that man’s chance.”
The court noted that Suma had declared her family income as Rs 40,000 per annum when her father, then KPSC chairman, earned a basic monthly salary of over Rs 2 lakh. Category 3B is meant for candidates with an annual family income below Rs 8 lakh. The judge asked, “Is it not an eyewash? Is it not a daily light fraud, prima facie?”
Senior Advocate Arun Shyam, representing Suma, argued that an FIR was registered without proper inquiry or verification of the income certificate as per Rule 7A of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Reservation of Appointment, etc) Rules, 1992. The bench countered that no inquiry was needed given the stark discrepancy.
Special Public Prosecutor B N Jagadeesha opposed the petition, stating Suma could not claim protection as she was not from a marginalised community. Shyam then withdrew the petition, and the court granted liberty to approach again for quashing the FIR.
Last Friday, a sessions court in Bengaluru had granted Suma anticipatory bail. She had applied for the post of Junior Engineer under KPSC recruitment in March 2024, submitting an income certificate declaring Rs 40,000 as family annual income to qualify under Category 3B. Upon scrutiny, KPSC found that her father had been serving as a member since 2019, drawing a basic monthly salary of about Rs 2.05 lakh, and became chairman in April 2021 with a basic salary of around Rs 2.25 lakh plus allowances.
Meanwhile, Shivashankarappa S Sahukar has also moved the Karnataka High Court against his suspension order.
