Karnataka HC nominates ADGP Hitendra as new head of SIT to probe KPSC cases
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R. Hitendra | Photo Credit: File photo
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday nominated Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) R. Hitendra as the new head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing criminal cases related to alleged illegalities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), in place of DGP Alok Kumar.
Mr. Hitendra is currently serving as ADGP (Law and Order) at the police headquarters in Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, the court nominated another ADGP, Soumendu Mukherjee, currently serving as ADGP (Administration), as a member of the SIT in place of Diya Gopinathan, who is posted as Director of the Forensic Sciences Laboratory.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order while modifying the September 21 order constituting the SIT, in terms of the direction of the apex court, which had asked the High Court to replace Mr. Kumar and Ms. Gopinathan. The apex court had passed the order on an appeal filed by the State government challenging the setting up of the SIT by the High Court.
However, the apex court had upheld the High Court’s decision to constitute the SIT but accepted certain reservations expressed by the State government over the nomination of Mr. Kumar to the SIT. The apex court had also found merit in the government’s contention that Ms. Gopinathan’s nomination to the SIT could result in a conflict of interest when the SIT refers investigation materials to the FSL for examination.
The apex court had left it to the High Court to reconstitute the SIT while giving liberty to the government to suggest to the High Court names of senior police officers not below the rank of ADGP to replace Mr. Kumar and Ms. Gopinathan.
Meanwhile, the High Court directed the State government not to transfer members of the SIT out of Bengaluru till the completion of the investigation. The court also directed that police personnel or officers involved in the investigation of the KPSC cases so far, either in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) or the city police, should not be drawn to the SIT.
Three other IPS officers, Anoop A. Shetty, Kushal Choksey and Kshama Mishra, who were nominated as members of the SIT under the earlier order, have been continued as members of the SIT.
However, the High Court on Monday took exception to the State government transferring Mr. Choksey after it was brought to the notice of the Court that he had been transferred out of Bengaluru after being nominated to the SIT. The Court directed the Government to take appropriate steps to ensure that he is available in Bengaluru to be part of the SIT.
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