Karnataka Government Suspends Senior Official Over COVID-19 PPE Procurement Irregularities

The Karnataka government has taken disciplinary action against a senior official, G P Raghu, for alleged irregularities in the procurement of PPE kits and other equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, the joint controller of the Karnataka State Accounts and Auditing Department was suspended following findings by an inquiry panel.

At the time of the alleged violations, G P Raghu was the financial advisor to the medical education department; he currently holds the position of financial adviser at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology. The suspension was issued after the inquiry panel discovered that Raghu had violated the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act.

The inquiry commission, headed by retired High Court judge Justice John Michael D'Cunha, was constituted by the Congress government in Karnataka. It was tasked with investigating procurement irregularities during the pandemic, which occurred when the BJP was in power, and Dr. K. Sudhakar served as the state’s health minister.

The commission’s findings were submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on August 31.