Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Karnataka Suspends Two Teachers Over RSS Route March
Two government teachers in Karnataka were temporarily suspended from their jobs.
Officials said they took part in marches organized by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS.
The teachers are Gururaj Joshi and Anna Saheb Deshmukh.
Joshi was linked to a march in Talikoti, while Deshmukh was linked to one in Hunasagi.
Both teachers said the marches happened on a Sunday or outside school hours.
They also said the events were cultural and not political.
Education officials did not accept this explanation.
The teachers will now face departmental inquiries under government service rules.
Two government school teachers in Yadgir district were suspended pending departmental inquiries over alleged participation in RSS Patha Sanchalana.
The Education Department said their participation prima facie violated the Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 2021.
The teachers, Gururaj Joshi and Anna Saheb Deshmukh, said the programmes were held outside working hours and were cultural rather than political.
Joshi was linked to a Talikoti march on October 12, 2025, while Deshmukh was linked to a Hunasagi march on October 10, 2025.
The department rejected their explanations and cited alleged dereliction of duty and restrictions on government employees’ political associations.
- Who
- Government teachers Gururaj Joshi and Anna Saheb Deshmukh were suspended by Yadgir Deputy Director of School Education Channabasappa Mudhol.
- What
- They were suspended pending departmental inquiries over alleged participation in RSS Patha Sanchalana route marches.
- When
- The suspension orders were issued on August 20; the cited marches took place on October 10 and October 12, 2025, and show-cause notices were issued on March 13, 2026.
- Where
- The teachers work in Yadgir district; the cited marches took place in Hunasagi and Talikoti in Karnataka.
- Why
- The Education Department said their participation prima facie amounted to dereliction of duty and violated the Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 2021.
Education Department
Teachers’ Position
Whether participation breached service rules
Education Department
The department said participation in RSS Patha Sanchalana prima facie constituted dereliction of duty and violated rules governing government employees’ association with political organizations or activities.
Teachers’ Position
Joshi and Deshmukh said the programmes were held outside working hours and were cultural rather than political.
Justification for suspension
Education Department
Officials rejected the teachers’ explanations and suspended both pending departmental inquiries, stressing that teachers should serve as role models.
Teachers’ Position
The teachers’ written explanations argued that participation outside working hours should not be treated as a service-rule violation.
- Action
- Suspension pending departmental inquiry
- Teachers
- Gururaj Joshi and Anna Saheb Deshmukh
- Issuing official
- Channabasappa Mudhol, Yadgir Deputy Director of School Education
- Reported events
- RSS Patha Sanchalana marches in Talikoti and Hunasagi
- Reported dates
- October 12, 2025, for Joshi; October 10, 2025, for Deshmukh
- Teachers’ explanation
- The programmes occurred outside working hours and were cultural rather than political
- Rules cited
- Rules 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), 5(1) and 7 of the Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 2021
