The appointment of Shanth A Thimmaiah as the chairperson of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has been cancelled by the state government. This decision follows a dispute between Thimmaiah and the board’s member-secretary. The government determined that Thimmaiah’s appointment had violated the Water Act and appointment procedures. As a result, he has been removed from his position, and the additional charge of chairperson has been given to the additional chief secretary of forest, environment, and ecology.
Sources suggest that a prominent MLA from the Old Mysuru region was promised the role of KSPCB chairperson, and there is pressure on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to uphold this promise.
The previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government appointed Thimmaiah as the KSPCB chairperson for a new three-year term, allegedly in violation of the regulations governing appointments made during an ongoing term.
According to the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1972, a chairperson can be appointed for three years, and any appointment made during an ongoing term will only apply for the remaining period of that term. However, the BJP government disregarded this rule. The violation was brought to the attention of the state government during a recent power struggle between the chairperson and the member-secretary, which involved accusations of misusing large sums of money.
An official from the forest, environment, and ecology secretariat stated, “After observing the violations in the appointment, we sought the opinion of the advocate-general, and based on the advice from the law department, the appointment has been cancelled immediately.” The government notification reads, “Shanth Thimmaiah’s appointment as the chairman of KSPCB has been corrected, and his tenure as chairman was concluded on March 2, 2022, in accordance with Section 5(6) of the Water Act and the appointment procedure mentioned in the corrigendum dated August 31, 2023.”
Prior to Thimmaiah’s appointment, the government had appointed retired Indian Forest Service officer N Jayaram for a three-year term on March 5, 2019. However, Jayaram resigned, and instead of appointing a new chairperson for the remaining period, Thimmaiah was appointed for a new three-year term. Sources claim that the eligibility criteria were intentionally modified despite strong objections from officials.