Karnataka High Court reprimands government over 15-year delay in caste certificate issuance

The Karnataka High Court has criticized the state government and Uttara Kannada district administration for a 15-year delay in issuing a caste validity certificate to a nursing officer. The petitioner, Anusuya P. Koti, a staff member in the cath lab division of the Karnataka College of Medical Sciences, has been receiving a monthly salary of only 10,000 rupees due to the lack of certification.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna, presiding over the divisional bench, noted that a colleague performing identical duties receives a salary ranging from 36,000 to 67,550 rupees. The court described the situation as an inexcusable offense, stating that forcing individuals dedicated to patient care to wander through courts is unacceptable. The bench emphasized that the government cannot disregard a legal right and subject an employee to permanent financial loss.

The court directed the Director of the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences to ensure the certificate is issued within four weeks, following a previous single-judge order from 2011 that remained unfulfilled. Additionally, the court questioned why the salary losses incurred by the petitioner over the last 15 years should not be recovered from the officials responsible for the delay.