A Session Court in Bengaluru granted anticipatory bail to Suma S Sahukar, daughter of Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Ex-Chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar, for allegedly creating fake income certificate to claim reservation benefits.

LXII Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Raghavendra S. Channabasappa, on Friday made absolute an earlier interim anticipatory bail granted to Suma Sahukar on July 14.

For context, on July 14 the court had granted interim anticipatory bail to Suma, noting that a custodial interrogation was not necessary in the case. The court had thus granted interim protection on condition of executing a personal bond of ₹1,00,000 with one surety for the like sum to the satisfaction of the Investigating Officer. The interim bail has now been made absolute.

The case against Suma was registered based on a complaint made by BN Shobha, Assistant Secretar- Karnataka Public Service Commission. The case was registered by Vidhan Soudha Police Station for offences under Sections 336(2), 336(3), and 340(2) of the BNS.

As per the prosecution, Suma had claimed reservation under Category 3B in the Public Service Commission's recruitment for the post of Junior Engineer (Civil) in the Department of Industries and Commerce. It was alleged that reservation was claimed on the basis of a fake income certificate in which the family's annual income was shown as Rs 40,000 whereas Suma's father received a monthly salary of approximately Rs. 2.25 lakh per month as KPSC chairperson.

Seeking anticipatory bail, Suma argued that she had voluntarily withdrawn her candidature much before the registration of the FIR, and has no intention to derive any wrongful benefits.

She also pointed out that the all the allegations were based on documentary evidence which was already available with the commission and thus no custodial interrogation was warranted. She also submitted that the commission had already initiated departmental proceedings, and the resolution passed by the Commission to that effect was already stayed by the High Court.

It is pertinent to note here that the High Court had later clarified that its interim stay on the Karnataka Public Service Commission's (KPSC) June 19 resolution would operate only in respect of the "Additional Agenda" item calling upon its former Chairman, Shiva Shankarappa S. Sahukar, to resign, and would not extend to the other thirteen agenda items from which he had recused himself. Agenda No.4 in the said meeting prior to the resolution was related to to reservation for Suma to the post of Group 'C' Industrial Extension Officer.

Suma also argued that the offences alleged carried a punishment of less than seven years and as per the precedents laid down by the Supreme Court, in cases where the imprisonment was less than seven years, arrest was not to be made as a matter of course.

The court had also directed Suma to appear before the Investigating Officer within 7 days and cooperate with the investigation.

Case Title: Suma S Sahukar v Vidhana Soudha PS

Case No: Criminal Miscellaneous No. 6920/2026

Click Here To Read/Download July 14 Order