Court takes exception to Karnataka IAS Officers Association’s action

“IS IT justified on the part of the association (Karnataka IAS Officers’ Association) to express solidarity with an accused officer when the criminal case and the accused officer’s bail application are pending before court?” This is what Karnataka High Court said on Thursday while taking exception to the IAS Association’s statement issued last Sunday, expressing solidarity with retired IAS officer…Shamim Banu, now in judicial custody in a case connected to illegal mining involving Deccan Mining Syndicate (DMS). A number of IAS officers in the state had reportedly aired their views that Ms Banu should not have been arrested by the CBI. But the High Court took an exception to the Association’s overreach, and Justice N Ananda orally questioned the Association’s statement while hearing a bail petition filed by N Vishwanathan, former additional chief secretary of the state, arrested in connection with the same case.
During the Sunday’s meet, additional chief secretary Kowshik Mukherjee-headed association, however, refrained from passing any resolution as the case was sub-judice, and passing a resolution could impact Ms Banu’s bail plea. It decided to extend full legal support to the retired officer to come out clean in the matter. Another meeting of the Association is scheduled to be held for this week.
Banu retired from the service in 2012. Post-retirement, she was an administrative member of the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal. After receiving the court summons on Saturday, she had resigned from that post.