Interim relief for IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri as Supreme Court stays HC order
Bengaluru : In a significant development, IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri has secured interim relief from the Supreme Court of India in connection with allegations of irregularities in the procurement of cloth bags during her tenure as Mysuru Deputy Commissioner. The apex court has stayed the earlier directive issued by the Karnataka High Court that had ordered the state government to grant sanction for investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The High Court had directed the Under Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms to accord permission for a probe into the allegations. Challenging this order, Rohini Sindhuri approached the Supreme Court, which after hearing the matter granted an interim stay, thereby halting further action based on the High Court’s directive for now.
The controversy dates back to Sindhuri’s tenure as Mysuru Deputy Commissioner, during which allegations surfaced regarding the purchase of cloth bags at inflated prices. It was claimed that the procurement was carried out without obtaining prior approval from municipal bodies such as city corporations, town municipalities, and local councils.
The issue reached the High Court after complainant and advocate Ravichandregowda N R filed a writ petition questioning the state government’s refusal to sanction an investigation. Hearing the plea on April 1, the High Court made strong observations on corruption, likening it to a “cancer” and “plague” that could destabilize democratic institutions if left unchecked. The court emphasized that allegations of corruption must be thoroughly investigated to bring out the truth.
Acting on these observations, the High Court bench led by Justice M. Nagaprasanna had directed the government to grant sanction for a probe against Sindhuri. However, the Supreme Court’s interim stay has temporarily put the High Court’s order on hold.
The allegations themselves stem from claims made by JD(S) leader S. R. Mahesh, who accused Sindhuri of approving the purchase of cloth bags at ₹52 per unit, despite similar bags being available in the retail market for as low as ₹10 to ₹13. He alleged that the inflated procurement resulted in a loss amounting to crores of rupees to the public exchequer.
With the Supreme Court now intervening, the matter is set to undergo further legal scrutiny. The interim relief offers temporary respite to the IAS officer, while the larger question of whether an investigation will proceed remains to be decided in the coming hearings.
