K’taka CM: Considering shutting down KPSC within legal framework

Chief minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said Karnataka was examining whether Karnataka Public Service Commission should be shut down, a day after the high court ordered a fresh investigation into alleged irregularities in the selection of veterinary officers.

“There are increasing scams in KPSC. I am discussing with experts whether it can be shut down within the legal framework,” Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru.

The remarks came after the Karnataka high court constituted a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a de novo probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment of 400 veterinary officers through the KPSC. The court declined a request for a CBI investigation and directed the SIT, headed by IPS officer Alok Kumar, to complete its probe within 100 days. It must submit progress reports every 30 days.

Shivakumar welcomed the court’s decision to constitute the SIT but objected to the state not having a role in choosing investigators. “I welcome the high court directing the formation of an SIT. The Enforcement Directorate is also investigating. But our police department is also conducting the investigation very well,” he said.

He said HC could have monitored the state police investigation instead of determining composition of the new team. “The court directing an SIT investigation is right. But the freedom to appoint the investigating officers should have been given to the state government. We have received calls from Delhi and other states regarding this. I will seek the opinion of legal experts,” the CM said.

The high court has directed the CID to hand over all records, documents, electronic evidence and other material collected during its investigation to SIT. The team has been authorised to pursue evidence involving other people, offences or transactions connected to the case and has also been directed to cooperate with the Enforcement Directorate, which is separately investigating the alleged financial aspects of the case.

The veterinary recruitment case is one of the several controversies surrounding KPSC. The petitions before the high court alleged large scale irregularities in the recruitment of 400 veterinary officers, including manipulation of marks and examination material. The suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar is among those accused in the case. The court said recruitment malpractice involving manipulation of marks, tampering with answer scripts or OMR sheets and purchased selections affected the constitutional guarantee of equality in public employment.

The investigation has also widened beyond the recruitment process. The CID has questioned candidates in the case and examined alleged financial links involving candidates, middlemen and officials. Suspended IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, who had served as KPSC controller of examinations, has been arrested in connection with the case, while the ED is examining the alleged money trail.

Shivakumar said investigators had already gathered documents that could reveal the extent of the alleged wrongdoing. “Some fraudsters have entered KPSC. We selected officials by placing our trust in them, and they are doing all this. The members there have opened a shop of their own. Our police officers have collected the documents. One day, everything will come out,” he said.

The CM linked the issue to the prospects of thousands of candidates who depend on government recruitment examinations. “We have to think about the future of our children. That is why Siddaramaiah reduced the number of members in the KPSC during his tenure. If we select officials transparently and send them there with trust, they are also doing such things,” Shivakumar said.