Bengaluru, Sep 22 (IANS) The Karnataka government on Tuesday objected to the High Court naming the officers for the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the KPSC scam, stating that while the state was not objecting to the court’s direction to set up the SIT, it considered its decision to specify the officers who would conduct the probe as interference with government authority.

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar stressed that the state government was not objecting to the Karnataka High Court’s direction to constitute the SIT to probe the alleged KPSC recruitment scam, but questioned the court’s decision to specify the officers who should conduct the investigation.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, CM Shivakumar said the police had already conducted a proper investigation into the case and that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also intervened in the matter.

“There is nothing wrong in setting up of the SIT. The police have already conducted their investigation well. The ED has also intervened. But the issue is that they are choosing the officers. I do not know how they (court) can interfere with that. The choice of officers should have been left to the discretion of the government and the concerned authorities,” he said.

CM Shivakumar said there had been instances in the past where the judiciary had monitored investigations, but questioned the practice of naming specific officers to conduct a probe.

“If the CID had not conducted a proper investigation, they could have done it. Let the High Court monitor the report submitted by the CID. But directing that the investigation should be done by certain officers has raised a wider discussion about the authority of the government,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the government was examining the issue from a legal perspective and had been receiving calls from Delhi and other places seeking clarification about the High Court’s direction.

“I am receiving calls from Delhi and other places asking how this can happen. We are verifying it legally,” he said.

Shivakumar clarified that the government was serious about the alleged irregularities in the KPSC recruitment process and was examining the legal options available to it.

He also reiterated his earlier stand that the government was looking into whether the KPSC could be shut down or its functioning changed through a legally valid process.

“We are also very serious. I am talking to people about how KPSC can be shut down legally,” he said.

–IANS

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