Bengaluru: Allegations of misconduct against a senior officer in the Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department (RDWSD) have triggered controversy in Minister Priyank Kharge’s department, raising questions about bureaucratic accountability under the Siddaramaiah government.
The complaint, filed by Bengaluru resident Alvin M, accuses Superintendent Engineer Indra Kumar of the RDWSD Davangere Circle of misbehaving during an RTI appeal hearing related to the Jal Jeevan Mission project in Shivamogga district. Alvin has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Minister Priyank Kharge, and the Chief Secretary, seeking a formal probe into the alleged misconduct.
According to the complaint, the RTI appeal hearing — which, under law, must be conducted during working hours — was held at night, after office hours had ended on October 31, 2025. The appellant claimed that despite issuing a notice for a 5 pm hearing, the officer delayed proceedings and later called him back, convening an informal session attended by 20–25 unrelated persons. Alvin alleged that Indra Kumar verbally abused his representative during the session, calling the conduct “disrespectful to the spirit of a quasi-judicial proceeding.”
During the hearing, Indra Kumar reportedly acknowledged that the requested documents were valid and directed officials to provide them within seven days. However, the situation took a turn when another officer intervened, claiming that the application was never received by their office — leading Indra Kumar to reverse his earlier position and closure the appeal.
Following the incident, Alvin immediately took to social media platform ‘X’ to tag the CM and the minister, sharing details of the alleged irregularities. Soon after, Indra Kumar reportedly issued another notice late that night, stating that the “earlier communication was a clerical error” and rescheduling the hearing for November 10, 2025. Alvin, however, questioned the decision to send the notice by post instead of delivering it in person, given that both parties were still in the office that evening.
Journalists present during the proceedings have reportedly corroborated parts of the appellant’s version of events. Alvin has now urged the government to initiate an independent inquiry into the officer’s conduct and to appoint a neutral authority to hear the RTI appeal afresh.
The Siddaramaiah government, which came to power promising transparency and action against corruption, is yet to officially respond to the allegations.
