HC directs Karnataka government to constitute permanent Medical Board

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to constitute a permanent medical board to ensure transparency in recruitment to government jobs made through Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC). The Court has said genuine candidates should not be deprived and justice should be done in all fairness.

This would require not giving a free hand to the KPSC to choose its own medical board and experts during recruitment, it said. The direction came in a judgement in which the Court found a medical certificate issued by G Nandakumar of Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital falsely mentioning that a candidate was colour-blind and half a centimetre shorter than the required height.

The candidature of Shivananje Gowda BN for the post of Motor Vehicle Inspector was rejected by the KPSC based on this certificate issued on July 16, 2021. Gowda approached the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal which also upheld the KPSC's stand. The candidate then approached the HC where the division bench of Justice B Veerappa and Justice B Rachaiah heard his petition.

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On April 18, 2022, the HC directed a physical test to be conducted at Minto Ophthalmic Hospital to ascertain the facts about Gowda's physical status. The report submitted to the court revealed that he did not suffer from colour-blindness and qualified for the post of Motor Vehicle Inspector. “Unfortunately, on the basis of the wrong assessment made by the Medical Board, Bowring Hospital, his candidature was rejected,” the court observed in its recent judgement.

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The HC quashed the rejection of his candidature and directed KPSC to reconsider the claim of the petitioner for the post of Motor Vehicle Inspector as he has fulfilled the eligibility of minimum physical standard test under the rules.