Bangalore, Dec 13, 2013, DHNS: Governor H R Bhardwaj has given assent to a Karnataka Civil Services Amendment Bill that provides for continuing the services of 250 engineers whose appointment was quashed by the Supreme Court, Law Minister T B Jayachandra said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Jayachandra said the Supreme Court last year had quashed the appointment of 250 assistant engineers and junior engineers recruited by the Water Resources Department for the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) stating that rules had not been followed during the recruiting process. The apex court provided the government one year’s time to make alternative arrangements for the engineers.
Both Houses of the legislature passed the Karnataka Civil Services (Water Resources Services) (Assistant Engineers and Junior Engineers’ Special Recruitment) Bill 2013, with provision to continue the services of the 250 engineers.
Jayachandra said the government had come to the rescue of the engineers on humanitarian ground as several of them had put in 25 years of service. He said a delegation of ministers met Bhardwaj on Friday morning and impressed upon him to give assent to the bill.
Incidently, the one-year grace period provided by the Supreme Court to the government ended on Friday.
