HC orders notice to State govt. on petition over appointment of MLA as KKRDB chief

The High Court of Karnataka on Monday ordered issue of notice to the State government on a PIL petition challenging the appointment of an MLA as the chairperson and a junior cadre IAS officer as secretary of the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) contrary to a 2013 notification.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi passed the order on the petition filed by Saibanna Jamadara of Kalaburagi.

The petitioner has pointed out that as per the notification issued in November 2013, the district in-charge Minister will have to be appointed as the chairperson and a senior officer not less than the level of the secretary to the State government will have to be appointed as the secretary of the board.

However, the State government in August 2023 appointed Jevargi MLA Ajay Dharam Singh as chairperson of the board.

Deputy Commissioner of Koppal Nalini Atul was appointed as the secretary of the board in June 2025, contrary to the terms of the 2013 notification for making appointments to these posts in the board, the petition has contended.

While saying that there has been misappropriation of hundreds of crores of rupees allotted to the board, including those funds allotted by the Central government for the development of the region as per Article 371(J) of the Constitution, the petitioner has sought a direction from court to the State government to consider his representation seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into it.