Sakaala Services (Amendment) Bill passed in Karnataka legislature

The Bill that was piloted in the Karnataka Assembly by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. | Photo Credit: The Hindu The Karnataka legislature on Monday (August 24, 2026) adopted the Karnataka Sakaala Services (Amendment) Bill 2026 that empowers the State Government to incorporate new citizen services under Sakaala services, designate appropriate competent and appellate authorities, and modify deadlines for delivery of services and penalty structures.The Bill that was piloted in the Assembly by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, seeks to streamline the financial liability of defaulting public servants by capping the maximum compensatory cost payable for delayed service delivery at ₹500 per application.It seeks to vest revisionary powers in the State Government, either suo motu or on application, to examine the legality and propriety of orders passed by lower authorities, thereby ensuring an overarching mechanism to rectify gross injustice;The Bill proposes to provide statutory remedy for citizens who are wrongly denied compensatory costs, ensuring recovery directly from the defaulting public servant;The Bill also seeks to curb filing of false, malicious, or vexatious complaints by empowering authorities to impose appropriate penal costs on erring complainants, recoverable as arrears of land revenue.It seeks to bar the jurisdiction of Civil Courts explicitly in respect of matters falling within the statutory competence of the authorities empowered under the legislation, ensuring expeditious administrative finality. Published - August 25, 2026 04:52 pm IST