Karnataka High Courts directs CAG to carry out audit of UAS, Dharwad, for past seven years as ineligible person was holding post of Comptroller since 2018

Observing that an ineligible idiosyncratic was holding the station of Comptroller arsenic in-charge for 7 years, the High Court of Karnataka directed the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG), Karnataka, to transportation retired a fiscal audit of the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad, from the twelvemonth 2018 to 2025, and instrumentality enactment arsenic per instrumentality if immoderate irregularities were recovered successful the audit report.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj passed the bid portion dismissing a petition filed by Shivaputra M. Honnali, in-charge Comptroller of UAS, Dharwad, who had questioned the State government’s September 6, 2025 bid of appointing an serviceman to the station of Comptroller of the varsity.

‘Shocking’

“It is alternatively shocking that the petitioner, who was appointed arsenic an in-charge Comptroller, which could not person been for much than six months astatine the most, and adjacent if a Comptroller is appointed by pursuing the process nether Section 31(9)(a) of the UAS Act, 2009, the tenure of the Comptroller being not much than 4 years, the petitioner is continued to discharge his relation arsenic a Comptroller from the twelvemonth 2018 till present for astir 7 years. The supra facet does not animate assurance and, successful fact, is suspicious,” the tribunal observed.

It besides pointed retired that the petitioner was chiefly ineligible to clasp the station of Comptroller arsenic helium did not beryllium to the cadre of Joint Comptroller of State Accounts Department oregon an Officer of the fertile of the Deputy Accountant-General of Audit and Accounts Department arsenic prescribed successful the UAS Act.

Meanwhile, the tribunal noted that the process prescribed to name Comptroller was not followed successful appointing the petitioner to the station arsenic neither a sheet of names of eligible persons to clasp the station was submitted to the Board of Management (BoM) of the varsity nor the BoM had approved petitioner’s name.

‘Active enactment of V-C’

The tribunal besides pointed retired that the instrumentality permitted that immoderate in-charge statement to the station of Comptroller could lone beryllium extended for a play of six months and not later; and admittedly the petitioner had been discharging the in-charge statement from the twelvemonth 2018 and had been challenging immoderate different assignment made by the State, seemingly with the progressive enactment of the Vice-Chancellor.

“It is not permissible for the Vice-Chancellor to name a Comptroller successful specified a mode arsenic done, the station of the Comptroller being an indispensable and important station astatine the assemblage dealing with each fiscal aspects... I americium of the considered sentiment that determination requires to beryllium an audit, made by the Comptroller and Auditor- General of Karnataka into the affairs of the assemblage from the twelvemonth 2018 till day to ascertain if determination is immoderate fiscal mismanagement,” observed Justice Govindaraj.