In Brief
The Supreme Court resolved conflicting views among Karnataka High Court benches on whether licensed surveyors appointed under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act are public servants under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Court held that licensed surveyors performing statutory survey duties, who are trained, licensed, regulated, and supervised by the State Government, qualify as public servants. The functions they perform—preparing survey sketches for land records—were previously done by Government surveyors but were transferred to licensed surveyors due to workload. Since these duties involve State and public interest and are conducted under Government control, licensed surveyors fall within the statutory definition of public servants and are subject to the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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