The Karnataka High Court.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has pulled up the state government for its failure to constitute the Civil Services Board (CSB) in spite of the orders of the Apex Court as well as the high court.
"The conduct of the state government is no less contumacious," a division bench comprising Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind said.
The bench was hearing a PIL filed by Rishab Trakroo, a Bengaluru-based advocate.
The petition cited the directions issued by the Apex Court in T S R Subramanian and others case, decided as back as October 31, 2013. The Apex Court had directed all the state governments to constitute independent CSBs within three months and also frame a policy prescribing minimum tenure of service of civil servants.
The top court had noted that constitution of CSB and framing of minimum tenure policy to civil servants would ensure preserving integrity, fearlessness and independence of civil servants both at the Centre and the State-level.
According to the petitioner, the Karnataka government had taken initiation to constitute the board in 2014, but subsequently the proposal was shelved and no concrete action was taken. The petitioner further stated that the directions issued by the Apex Court were taken note of by the division bench of the high court while deciding a writ petition in June 2021.
The bench said that the inaction on the part of the state government speaks for itself.
"The conduct in not implementing and acting upon the directions of the Supreme Court and the order of the division bench of this court aforementioned by the state authorities is no less than contumacious and could par take the contempt of the directions of the Apex Court," the bench said, while adjourning matter to September 11 with a direction to the state government to submit its response.