Officials fined for withholding caste, income certs

THE Karnataka High Court has imposed an exemplary cost of Rs 2 lakh on the then chairman and members of the District Caste and Income Verification Committee of Hassan, which has to be paid from their pockets to the petitioner for declining to issue her a certificate validating the caste and income certificate that had already been issued.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Bengaluru

The committee had told the petitioner that the income of her husband, who worked as a lecturer at a private college, is beyond the permissible threshold of the grant of such a certificate.

The petitioner, Muthulaxmi BN -- a resident of Channarayapatna -- suffered a delay of 12 months in getting the assistant public prosecutor's post because of the committee's unwillingness to issue her the certificate, which was given after the court's order.