The Karnataka Legislature Secretariat on Thursday issued a clarification stating that “there has been no misconduct or illegal activity in the procurement of furniture required for the MLAs’ residence (Shasakara Bhavana). The purchase process was conducted in accordance with rules and with full transparency.

The statement was made in response to a special report in that alleged high-priced acquisitions of furniture for the residential accommodation of Members of the Legislative Assembly.

According to the Secretariat’s principal secretary M.K. Vishalakshi, prior to purchasing the necessary furniture, comparative price checks were conducted across government-owned and private enterprises. Because the state-owned KSFIC had only limited stock of the requisite wooden furniture, a private supplier —Shri Ram Enterprises — was selected for items not available in the public sector. Following requests from members of the 16th Legislative Assembly for furniture for their allotted rooms, a committee of officials surveyed and prepared a list of required items, estimating the cost at approximately ₹5.5 crore. A letter requesting sanction for that amount was sent to the Finance Department in 2023. While approval is still under process for 2024-25, no part of the procurement has been rejected, and the Secretariat emphasises that no pressure was exerted on the Finance Department.

The official also noted that the process was conducted under the Public Procurement (Transparency) Act, clause 4(g), and that many private and public entities procure similar furniture under the same exemption. The supplier’s wooden furniture carried certification from the Institute of Wood Science & Technology and BIS; a two-year warranty was provided. According to the Secretariat, the furniture items collected at the MLAs’ residence are not overpriced and follow quality and cost norms. There had been be a barrage of accusations by MLAs and MPs of the BJP including Visheshvar Hegade Kageri (MP from Uttra Kannada) and few MLAs.