The state government has transferred IPS officer Kushal Chouksey to Chitradurga, about 200 km from Bengaluru, just two days after the Karnataka high court appointed him to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged irregularities in Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment.
Chouksey, who was serving as deputy commissioner of police (administration) in Bengaluru, has been posted as superintendent of police in Chitradurga. Chouksey is among four officers appointed to the team alongside Divya V Gopinath, Anup A Shetty and Kshama Mishra. His transfer is his second posting change in less than a month. The Chitradurga post became vacant after Ranjith Kumar was transferred. The government has now posted Chouksey to fill the position. The court has directed the Criminal Investigation Department and jurisdictional police to hand over records and evidence from the two cases to the SIT within a week. It has also ordered the state government to provide the team with a station, staff and other facilities required for the investigation. “I don’t know how high court can interfere. There are several directives and legal provisions concerning the appointment of officers.
The order was issued on September 23, two days after Justice M Nagaprasanna constituted the five member SIT under the leadership of senior IPS officer Alok Kumar, DGP, Prisons and Correctional Services. He was moved from superintendent of police, Chikkaballapur, to DCP (Administration), Bengaluru, in the August 29 reshuffle of senior police officers.
After the HC order, chief minister D K Shivakumar said the appointment of officials was the prerogative of the state government. I will examine that legally,” he told the media.
Because the high court had assigned him to the investigation only two days earlier, the timing of the transfer is notable. The SIT has been given 100 days to complete its probe and submit a final report, with progress reports due to the high court every 30 days.
The latest order does not cite the KPSC investigation as a reason for the transfer.
Officials familiar with the arrangement said the move is an administrative decision and that Chouksey is expected to continue as a member of the SIT.
