No salaries from June 2024 till Mar. 24, 2025; officers posted now after MLA Srivatsa’s intervention

Mysuru: Even after 10 months of transfer, several Police Inspectors, Dy.SPs and ACPs have not been assigned postings, leaving them demoralised and disheartened.

In June 2024, the State Government issued transfer orders for over 60 Dy.SPs, ACPs and Police Inspectors across various Police units, including Civil, Traffic, Lokayukta, CID, State Intelligence, Internal Security Division (ISD), Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), District Crime Records Bureau (DCRB), Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) and several other units under the Home Department, covering Mysuru city, district and other parts of the State.

However, since these officers were not assigned specific postings, they were directed to report at their respective unit headquarters in Bengaluru. As per the Karnataka Civil Service Rules (KCSR), they reported at the central office and awaited further notification on posting from the Government.

During this period, they had to travel to Bengaluru daily, mark their attendance at the headquarters and then return to their homes.

Some of those awaiting postings managed to secure recommendations from local MLAs and Ministers, which helped them get assigned to specific locations at the Government level.

Critical financial situation

As most officers were not assigned specific postings, they were left in a difficult situation. The Police Department withheld their salaries for the past 10 months while insisting that they report daily to the headquarters to mark their attendance.

This forced them to travel back and forth from different parts of the State using buses and trains. With no work and no salary, many officers were  struggling financially.

Some officers, who were active in solving crime cases when in service, were left with no choice but to wait outside the homes of senior officials, hoping to secure a recommendation for their posting.

Accustomed to working under high-pressure situations, these Police officers found it challenging to remain idle. The lack of assignments led to frustration and over time, they lost motivation and enthusiasm for their duties. Spending ten months without work was an embarrassing situation for proactive officers.

Meanwhile, Krishnaraja MLA T.S. Srivatsa recently raised the issue during Zero Hour in the State Assembly Session, questioning why the Government was delaying the posting of transferred Police officers.

Following his intervention, after ten long months, the Government finally assigned postings to all 60-plus officers. However, some Inspectors and Dy.SPs, unwilling to report to their assigned posts, have obtained medical certificates from doctors and submitted them as justification for not assuming duty.

Instead, they are seeking recommendations from MLAs and Ministers to secure postings of their preference. As per the Karnataka Civil Service Rules,  officers and staff must be assigned a new posting immediately upon transfer.

If officers are not assigned postings, they must still be provided with salaries and other benefits. However, salaries for these 60-plus officers have not been paid for the past 10 months.

Now that they have been assigned postings, the pending salaries will have to be disbursed in one go. This means that despite not having taken up any work, salaries will be paid, resulting in a financial burden on the Government. Yet, such instances of administrative negligence continue to repeat.