After a public spat between an IAS and IPS officer that got the attention of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Karnataka government transferred Rohini Sindhuri IAS and D Roopa IPS from their previous posts, without any new postings for now. Roopa's husband Munish Moudgil has also been transferred — he was previously Commissioner, Survey, Settlement and Land Records, and will now be Principal Secretary, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Administrative Reforms). Rohini was transferred from the post of Commissioner for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments. Roopa has been transferred out of her post of Managing Director of Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation. The orders were issued on Tuesday, February 21, after days of public spats between Roopa and Rohini.
The government has also issued a media gag order on Roopa, whose social media posts against Rohini started a war of words between the two officers and created a huge embarrassment to Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai's government. An advisory issued by DPAR to Roopa stated that though there was an appropriate forum to raise allegations and grievances, the officer had expressed them directly to the media. “This has the potential to cause disrepute and embarrassment to the government. This is unbecoming of a civil servant and goes against the spirit of the All India Service (Conduct) Rules which reiterates that officers may use media only if it is necessary in the discharge of their official duties relating to government schemes/dissemination…” The advisory suggested that the officers could have avoided airing their grievances publicly, and directed them to refrain from approaching the media further and observe the conduct rules. A similar direction was issued to Rohini as well.
Rohini Sindhuri and Roopa Moudgil have been engaged in a public spat for the past three days. The two have been accusing each other of corruption and sending private pictures to other IAS officers. It started after photographs emerged of Rohini Sindhuri and JD(S) MLA from Mysuru’s KR Nagara, Sa Ra Mahesh, sitting together with another person, purported to be another IAS officer, in a restaurant.
The spat also led to the Prime Minister’s Office asking why Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hadn’t taken any action immediately. The officers had lodged complaints against each other with Chief Secretary, Vandita Sharma on Tuesday, February 21.