KPSC recruitment case: Karnataka court remands IAS officer, BJP leader to CID custody for 10 days
Bengaluru: A Bengaluru court on Monday remanded IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and BJP leader Basavaraj Kannale to 10 days of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) custody in connection with the alleged Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment irregularities involving the recruitment of veterinary officers.
The court granted the CID custody of the duo until September 9 to facilitate further questioning and investigation into the alleged question paper leak, manipulation of OMR answer sheets and other irregularities in the recruitment process.
Gyanendra Kumar was arrested by the CID after being questioned for two days over alleged irregularities in the veterinary officer recruitment examination. He was subsequently produced before the Bengaluru First Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) court, which had earlier remanded him to one day of judicial custody and directed that he be produced before an open court on August 31.
Investigators questioned Kumar extensively on August 28 and 29, with the questioning reportedly continuing until late at night. Officials are examining alleged inconsistencies in his statements and evidence that purportedly points to his role in the alleged manipulation of OMR sheets.
The agency is also investigating allegations that selected candidates were provided training at hotels and resorts as part of the alleged recruitment process.
The CID probe is expected to widen to former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar, commission officials and other individuals associated with the recruitment process.
Investigators have reportedly collected details of four recruitment examinations conducted over the past three years, including those for the Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, Industries and Commerce Department and the veterinary officer recruitment examination.
The agency is examining the alleged involvement of officials and intermediaries in facilitating the recruitment of candidates.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Basavaraj Kannale was arrested by the CID in Delhi on Sunday in connection with the same case. Investigators are probing his alleged role as a middleman in the recruitment process and his suspected involvement in helping candidates secure government jobs.
The CID also conducted a search at Kannale’s residence in Donagapura village in Bhalki taluk of Bidar district as part of its investigation.
Kannale is a BJP leader from Bidar and is reportedly considered close to former Deputy Chief Minister and MLA C.N. Ashwath Narayan. He is also reportedly seeking a BJP ticket to contest from the Bhalki Assembly constituency in Bidar district.
The search at his residence was aimed at gathering further evidence regarding the alleged recruitment network and the role of intermediaries.
The alleged veterinary officer recruitment scam has also come under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has conducted searches at the residences of the former KPSC chairman, commission members and officials.
The ED had earlier searched Kumar’s residence. He was reportedly not present at the time as he had travelled to his home state of Uttar Pradesh. ED officials subsequently opened the house using a duplicate key and conducted a search.
The CID had also earlier searched the KPSC office as part of its investigation into allegations of question paper leaks, manipulation of marks and other irregularities in recruitment during Kumar’s tenure as Controller of Examinations.
The investigation has reportedly revealed that Gyanendra Kumar, who served as the KPSC Controller of Examinations and was responsible for overseeing examinations, was allegedly involved in the question paper leak. Investigators suspect that the leaked question paper was allegedly sold to candidates for around Rs 40 lakh each with the assistance of Kannale, who is being investigated for his alleged role as a middleman.
The CID is also probing allegations that attempts were made to destroy evidence by manipulating OMR answer sheets and deleting CCTV footage from the strongroom.
With the court granting 10 days of CID custody to the two accused, investigators are expected to intensify their probe into the recruitment network and the possible involvement of officials, intermediaries, candidates and other individuals.
