Karnataka HC shocked as staff nurse gets ₹10,000 salary for 16 years despite court orders

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The High Court of Karnataka has expressed serious concern over a staff nurse at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Hubballi, being paid a consolidated salary of just ₹10,000 a month for nearly 16 years because the authorities have failed to take steps to issue a caste validity certificate to her despite directions from the court.

A Division Bench comprising Justice M. Nagaprasanna and Justice Hema Kulkarni, in an interim order, has directed the State government to explain why the salary loss suffered by the nurse should not be determined and recovered from the officials responsible for the prolonged delay.

The directions were issued while hearing an appeal filed by staff nurse Anasuya P. Koti against the authorities’ continued failure to resolve her claim for a caste validity certificate.

She first approached the High Court in 2010, complaining of non-payment or short payment of salary as she had not been issued the certificate. On August 8, 2011, the court directed the Deputy Commissioner to take steps to issue the certificate after satisfying himself that she belonged to the Moger caste. The exercise was ordered to be completed within four weeks.

However, nearly 15 years later, the certificate has still not been issued by the Deputy Commissioner or the competent District Caste Verification Committee, even after the High Court in 2025 directed the authorities to complete the caste certificate validation exercise within two months.

The Bench noted that another employee in a similar position had obtained a caste validity certificate and was placed in the regular pay scale of ₹36,000 to ₹67,550. However, the appellant, who is performing identical duties, continues to receive only ₹10,000 a month.

“Administrative lethargy cannot become a legitimate reason to deny an employee the fruits of her labour, nor can the silence of an authority be permitted to speak louder than the commands of this Court,” the Bench observed.

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