Bengaluru: In yet another move that may earn the CM some sharp criticism from various quarters, it is said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is favouring the appointment of T Sham Bhatt to the post of Chairman of Karnatka Public Service Commissioner, which has been lying vacant since 2013.

It is said that the CM’s office will soon issue a direction to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms to initiate the process.

However, if the CM persuades Bhatt, then the latter will have to seek Voluntary retirement at the earliest so as to take up the position of KPSC Chef. Bhatt is due to retire in December this year.

Once the government approves his request for voluntary retirement, the Union Department of Personnel and Training should ratify it. Only then the DPAR will be able to recommend Bhatt’s name to the governor. The final call has to be taken by the governor.

Bhatt has been the BDA commissioner close to four years and his tenure was mired in controversy over deletion of hundreds of acres of prime BDA lands meant for the formation of the Arkavathy layout.

The justice Kempanna Commission is inquiring into the charges of irregularities in deletion of lands at Arkavathi layout.

It may be recalled that the chief minister had in December 2014 recommended Congress leader V R Sudarshan’s name to the governor for the post. But the governor rejected it following charges by Opposition BJP that he had encroached on the government land in Kolar. He was also charged with getting a BDA site by submitting a false affidavit.