Karnataka revises penalties for officials, false grievances under new Act

Under the Karnataka Sakala Services (Amendment) Act, 2026, the State government has revised financial penalties for defaulting officials as well as citizens filing frivolous or malicious grievances.

Under the amended provisions, officials who fail to deliver services or dispose of appeals within the stipulated timeframe will face financial penalties, which will be deducted directly from their salaries and awarded as compensation to the applicant.

The penalty slab begins at ₹20 per day for the first one to five days of delay (capped at ₹100). This scales up to ₹100 per day for delays between 21 and 25 days, with a maximum cumulative penalty of ₹1,500. Additionally, for deficient service or wrongful rejection of applications without valid grounds, a penalty of up to ₹1,500 will be recovered from the responsible officer, according to the notification.

To curb misuse of the grievance mechanism, the Amendment empowers authorities to penalise citizens who file false or malicious complaints intended to harass or intimidate government personnel. If an inquiry confirms that a complaint was filed with ulterior motives, the applicant will be fined ₹1,500 per application, with repeat offences attracting an additional fine of ₹1,500 per instance, recoverable as arrears of land revenue.