The Daily PulsePolitics
Supreme Court Strikes Down 2022 Karnataka Jobs Law Citing Corruption
Reported by Neha Sharma (Staff Writer) · Indian Express - Political Pulse ·
Photo: Wikimedia CommonsThe Supreme Court has quashed a 2022 Karnataka recruitment law that aimed to protect 362 candidates who secured Karnataka Administrative Service jobs through a tainted 2011 recruitment process.
What Happened
In an October 29 ruling, the apex court declared the 2022 Act unconstitutional, stating the selection was vitiated by rampant corruption and blatant nepotism. The bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran criticized successive governments for shifting stances as political power changed hands between the BJP and Congress. The 2011 process began under the B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government to fill 362 posts, drawing over 1.38 lakh applicants. A candidate filed a police complaint in early 2013 after being asked for an 80 lakh rupee bribe by KPSC member Mangala Sridhar and having her interview score lowered upon refusal. The CID filed a chargesheet in 2014 pointing to bribery by then chairman Gonal Bhimappa and Sridhar. Successive governments repeatedly withheld the mandatory prosecution sanction, allowing the cases to unravel.
Reaction
Following the 2014 CID findings, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government initially cancelled the process, but later withheld prosecution sanctions. A subsequent Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government passed the 2022 validation law after a campaign involving JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, BJP leaders, and Lingayat seers. When the Congress returned to power in 2023, it again denied prosecution sanction citing the previous cabinet's decision. One day after the recent Supreme Court verdict, the displaced KAS officers met Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to seek his intervention.
Context
The Supreme Court has directed the state to conduct fresh recruitments to fill the gaps left by the scrapped 2011 exercise, while granting age relaxations to candidates who approached the courts. This ruling coincides with a separate Special Investigation Team probe into alleged graft and question leaks in the 2026 KPSC veterinary officer recruitment exams and ongoing scrutiny of the 2024 KAS recruitment results.
ExplainerWhy this matters
What Happened
The Supreme Court struck down the Karnataka Civil Services Validation Act of 2022, which had regularized 362 administrative officers appointed following a 2011 selection process that courts found deeply compromised by bribery and political interference.
Why It Matters
This ruling underscores the judiciary's strict stance against administrative corruption and the misuse of legislative power by governments to shield tainted officials and candidates from legal accountability. It also exposes how shifting political alliances across party lines can stall anti-corruption probes for over a decade.
What Happens Next
The state government must now conduct a fresh recruitment process to fill the administrative posts while providing age relaxations to affected litigants, even as investigators examine separate recent allegations of corruption in more recent KPSC exams.
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