Karnataka 2011 KPSC Recruitment: Supreme Court Strikes Down 2022 Law

The Supreme Court on Thursday, 29 October, struck down the Karnataka Civil Services (Validation of Selection and Appointment of 2011 Batch Gazetted Probationers) Act, 2022, which had tried to save a Karnataka Public Service Commission recruitment already cancelled for manipulation. A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran, in a judgment written by Justice Chandran, held that a legislature can change the basis of a court ruling but cannot directly annul a final judgment, which the 2022 Act did.

Fresh Recruitment, One-Time Age Relaxation

The state must now notify recruitment for the vacant Group A and Group B posts under the existing recruitment rules. Candidates not found tainted, the six appellants and the petitioners before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal get a one-time age relaxation to apply. If selected, their seniority counts only from the new appointment date, with no back wages or notional appointment. Those already serving who are reselected keep their earlier service for pension and retirement benefits.

The appointments made under the 2022 Act were held vitiated, according to the LiveLaw report on the judgment. It sets no deadline for the notification.

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A Selection Cancelled Before Anyone Joined

The state notified 362 Group A and Group B gazetted probationer posts in November 2011, and over 1.38 lakh candidates applied. In 2013 it withheld the final select list and ordered a CID inquiry into alleged manipulation, corruption and nepotism involving commission officials. Courts found improper evaluation, including identical interview marks for many candidates, and the replacement of a digital video recorder at the commission’s office.

The High Court upheld the cancellation and the Supreme Court declined to interfere. More than a decade after the notification, the state passed the 2022 Act to validate the selection, and untainted candidates challenged it. Other recent Supreme Court rulings on recruitment are in our NCLT staff hiring report and on the Daily Updates page.

Karnataka’s Notification Awaited

The state government has not yet said when it will notify the fresh recruitment. The vacant posts and the application window will be known only when that notification is issued.

Source: Supreme Court judgment, Srinivasa T. v. State of Karnataka, 29 October 2026. Also based on reporting by LiveLaw.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.