Sharath Kumar, attached to the special division and looking after the government circuit house, reported for duty this morning and consumed pesticide, police said.
A worker who noticed it alerted the authorities and Kumar was taken to a hospital where his condition was stated to be serious.
Though police said the motive behind the suicide attempt was to be ascertained, his wife Komala said Kumar was perturbed due to "harassment" by his superiors and he was forced to sign some "illegal bills" by them.