Days after the government suspended a Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) for allegedly participating in a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) rally, the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KSAT) Thursday stayed the suspension order.
Praveen Kumar KP, a PDO in the Sirwar taluk of Raichur district, was suspended by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department on October 17 for attending the RSS rally in Lingasugur on October 12.
The single bench of KSAT posted the matter to November 14.
Kumar, who also works as an assistant to BJP MLA Manappa Vajjal from Lingasugur, was photographed wearing the RSS uniform during the event.
After his photo went viral, departmental authorities initiated an inquiry and suspended him for violating Rule 3 of the Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 2021, which mandates political neutrality and discipline among government officials.
Following the suspension, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders condemned the Karnataka Government’s move and extended their support to Praveen Kumar.
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya’s law office challenged the “arbitrary suspension” of Praveen Kumar for participating in the RSS rally before the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal.
Story continues below this ad
Following the order, Tejasvi Surya on X said, “KSAT has today stayed the suspension order which was mechanically passed due to political pressure. This should serve as a lesson to the Congress Govt that no amount of intimidation can deter the nation building ideals of RSS. Thank Senior Advocate Prabhuling Navadgi for his support.”