KPSC SIT officer transferred days after appointment

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. 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.

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. He was moved from superintendent of police, Chikkaballapur, to DCP (Administration), Bengaluru, in the August 29 reshuffle of senior police officers. The Chitradurga post became vacant after Ranjith Kumar was transferred. The government has now posted Chouksey to fill the position.

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.

The timing of the transfer is notable because the high court had assigned him to the investigation only two days earlier. 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 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.

The development comes as the Karnataka government prepares to challenge the high court’s decision to constitute the SIT. The government has approved a proposal to file a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court.

After the HC order, chief minister D K Shivakumar said the appointment of officials was the prerogative of the state government. “I don’t know how high court can interfere. There are several directives and legal provisions concerning the appointment of officers. I will examine that legally,” he told the media.

The HC had rejected the request for a CBI investigation and instead ordered a de novo probe by the SIT headed by Alok Kumar. The team has been directed to examine not only the allegations and individuals already part of the cases but also any other person, offence or transaction connected to them.