State HC served notice to government for appointing tainted info commissioner

Bengaluru : The Karnataka High Court has ordered the state government to issue a notice regarding the petition filed seeking the dismissal of Sathyan the State Information Commissioner of the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC). The petition stated that he was appointed while Sathyan was being investigated under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act on charges of illegal assets. Justice Krishna S Dixit heard petition and issued a notice to Sathyan and the government regarding this petition.

The petition was filed by the Bangalore-based Charitable Trust Committee for Public Accountability. The application states that Sathyan is an employee of the state transport department. According to the petitioner, Sathyan was selected in a meeting held on February 14, 2022, by a selection committee comprising the Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition, and Cabinet Ministers. The Lokayukta police have already registered a criminal case against Sathyan, and the case is pending in the additional district and sessions court, Mysore. The petitioner alleged that Sathyan had concealed this fact while making the appointment.

However, without knowing about this, Sathyan was selected as Information Commissioner on April 18, 2022. On August 31, 2012, the Lokayukta Police filed a charge sheet in the case of illegal property acquisition. Sathyan had filed a petition challenging the order allowing the prosecution, but the High Court dismissed the petition as the case reached the final stage of investigation. Sathyan later petitioned the Supreme Court again in this regard, but the Supreme Court dismissed the petition in 2019.

The petitioner also stated that, according to Section 15(5) of the Right to Information act, 2005, State Chief Information Commissioners and State Information Commissioners should be eminent persons in public life with good knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service. However, the petitioner also said that there are already many allegations and cases against Sathyan, and it is wrong to appoint him as the State Chief Information Commissioner.