Suspended for wearing RSS uniform, Karnataka official gets major relief from Tribunal

Bengaluru South MP and Advocate Tejasvi Surya questioned the ‘arbitrary suspension’.

2 min readBengaluruJul 31, 2026 07:16 PM IST

After weeks of controversy, RSS holds march in Karnataka's Chittapur

The panchayat development officer was purportedly photographed wearing the RSS uniform during the event. (File photo for representational use)

The Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KSAT) Friday set aside the suspension order of a panchayat development officer (PDO) who allegedly participated in a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) rally last year.

A bench headed by judicial member S Y Watawati gave the verdict, but the detailed order is yet to be made available.

Praveen Kumar KP, a PDO in the Sirwar taluk of Raichur district, was suspended by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department on October 17, 2025, for attending the RSS rally in Lingasugur on October 12.

Kumar was purportedly photographed wearing the RSS uniform during the event. The department initiated an inquiry and suspended him for violating Rule 3 of the Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 2021, which mandates political neutrality and discipline among government officials.

Also Read | ‘RSS an identifiable body’: Court rejects Priyank Kharge’s plea in defamation case

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders condemned the Karnataka Government’s move and extended their support to Praveen Kumar. Bengaluru South MP and Advocate Tejasvi Surya questioned Praveen Kumar’s “arbitrary suspension” for participating in the RSS rally before the Tribunal. On October 30, the KSAT stayed the suspension order.

The applicant contended that participating in the rally on a non-working day (Sunday) would not be unbecoming of a government servant or amount to misconduct.

The government submitted that the respondent authority decided on suspension after fully complying with the Rules.

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