The Karnataka High Court has issued a contempt notice to Umashankar, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, and Anjali Devi, Director of Prosecution & Government Litigation, for allegedly defying a previous court directive.

The notice follows a petition filed by Advocate Sudha Katwa, alleging that the officials disregarded the High Court’s December 2021 order by appointing Narayanaswamy as Senior Law Officer, Bengaluru, despite the court's explicit ban on posting officials facing disciplinary proceedings.

The controversy stems from the 2012-13 Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) / Assistant Government Pleader (AGP) recruitment scam, in which Narayanaswamy and several senior officials from the Department of Personnel were accused of manipulating marks, forging High Court justices’ signatures, and fabricating documents.

Although nearly 60 APP/AGP candidates have been denied postings due to ongoing investigations, the government allegedly made an exception for Narayanaswamy, appointing him to a senior role. This selective appointment led to the filing of the contempt petition.