Karnataka HC imposes cost on petitioners for stalling recruitment of vet officers

The High Court of Karnataka has imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on each of the 35 petitioners for attempting to stall the emergency recruitment of veterinary officers.

A division bench, comprising Justices K Somashekar and Rajesh Rai K, directed that the cost be payable to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authorities (KSLSA) within four weeks.

In March 2022, the state government notified Group ‘A’ posts of Veterinary Officers to fill 400 vacancies. The recruitment was undertaken as per special rules brought out on May 25, 2022. A written test was conducted in August 2022 and the results were declared in October 2022.

Some applicants, all holding Master of Veterinary Science (MVSc) degrees, approached the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KSAT). They challenged the special rules and sought preference for postgraduate degrees.

The KSAT quashed the special rules on February 15, 2023.

Based on this decision of the KSAT, the government requested the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) to recruit Veterinary Doctors as per General Recruitment Rules. Though the petitioners initially approached the high court challenging this decision, they withdrew their petition seeking liberty to file a review application before the KSAT.

On June 20, 2023, the KSAT dismissed their review application, noting that re-hearing these review applicants would be tantamount to hearing on appeal of its earlier order which the tribunal is prohibited.

The petitioners again approached the high court challenging the June 20, 2023, order passed by the KSAT. They sought the reopening of the February 15, 2023, order as third-party litigants.

The petitioners argued that the KSAT had erred in dismissing their review application on the ground of being non-parties to the original proceedings.

The division bench noted that they are in serious dissonance with the petitioners’ approach. It also observed that the petitioners had every opportunity to pursue their aspirations in the process when the state government had called for the recruitment.