Karnataka - Bangalore

KPSC is a den of corruption: Nanaiah

Special Correspondent

`Government should evolve an alternative system of recruitment'

Bangalore: The recently unearthed recruitment scandal in Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) examinations involving senior IAS officer K.A. Monappa is only the "tip of the iceberg" and more such scandals are waiting to be unearthed in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), former Law Minister M.C. Nanaiah has said.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, he termed KPSC a "den of corruption" and its recruitment methods "nothing but fraud".

Accusing KPSC Chairman H.N. Krishna of "harping on the single issue" of CoD inquiry into the 1998 recruitment to "cover up all other lapses", Mr. Nanaiah challenged him and other members to "voluntarily submit themselves to an inquiry" if they were indeed men of integrity. He sought to know why the Government was keeping quiet despite being aware of the malpractices in the commission. He said the Government should evolve an alternative system of recruitment since formation of KPSC board was "inherently flawed" and "beyond any clean up". He favoured formation of departmental committees for recruitment, though KPSC could not be wound up as its formation was mandated by the Constitution. Though Home Minister M.P. Prakash had spoken of recruiting tahsildars directly, nothing had been done in that direction, he said. "All public service commission members enjoy immunity guaranteed by the Constitution. These rules were framed assuming that men of integrity would be appointed to the commission. But caste factor and political compulsions have always guided appointments," Mr. Naniah said. State governments, which made these appointments, had no power to sack any of these members.

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