Fake caste case | Report indicting Kempaiah has gone ‘missing’

Bangalore Mirror‎‎: Bangalore: Saturday, May 21, 2016.

Vital documents from an inquiry into charges on Kempaiah (the former IPS officer who advises home minister G Parameshwara) of using a fake caste certificate to get into IPS, had gone missing from the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE). But while the DCRE has not been able to provide these documents sought through an RTI query, Mirror has a copy of it.

When RTI activist Dinesh Kallahalli sought the report from the DCRE, he was told the documents were missing. Sunil Agarwal, additional director general of police, DCRE, confirmed that the information sought under RTI was not available. "There is a file, but there are no documents in it other than some correspondence. I have asked for an explanation.

It may be an old case, but we cannot lose the documents; they have to here. We are checking it out," he said. The report, which was given by the former state police chief C Dinakar in 1991, stated that Kempaiah submitted a false caste certificate and got selected to the Indian Police Service (IPS). His actual caste was Kuruba / Halumatha (Backward Class category), while he claimed to be Kadu Kuruba (Scheduled Tribe category). Despite the report's claims, no action was taken against him.

Kempaiah took voluntary retirement in 2009. After the Siddaramaiah government came to power, he became the home minister's adviser.

In 2009, RTI activist Sirigere Thippesh procured a copy of the documents and lodged a complaint with the police and various government heads, including the chief minister. Yet again, no action was taken against Kempaiah. Kallahalli also filed a complaint with the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) over the issue. In addition to the Dinakar report, the RTI activist also dug out Kempaiah's school documents, which mentioned him as a Kuruba.

He has submitted these documents to the ACB. Under provisions of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989, if the allegations are proved to be true, the government can ask Kempaiah to pay back the benefits he enjoyed in service.