Bengaluru: Has Governor Vajubhai Vala cleared the name of former BDA commissioner and principal secretary, Department of Co-Operation, T. Sham Bhat for the post of chairman of Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC)? There are reports doing the rounds in this regard in government circles.
However, sources in the chief minister's office denied any such development and said the state government has not yet received any official communication to this effect from Raj Bhavan.
A few weeks ago, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had sent the proposal to Mr Vala seeking his assent for Mr Bhat's appointment as KPSC chairman-a post which has been lying vacant for many years.
But, the governor returned the file to the government seeking clarification on the charges made against Mr Bhat during his tenure as commissioner of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).
It was said that the governor had asked the office of Lokayukta to give details on the allegations against Mr Bhat in the denotification scam. Mr Bhat had been summoned by the Kempanna Commission which is probing the Arkavathy denotification scam following the Opposition parties’ claim that both Mr Bhat and Mr Siddaramaiah were involved in the multi-crore scam.
The Siddaramaiah government had to propose the name of Mr Bhat for the KPSC chairman's post after the governor rejected the name of former chairman of the State Legislative Council and senior Congress leader, Mr V.R. Sudarshan who had been accused of land encroachment.
