KPSC jobs scam: Ex-official under CID scanner withdraws advance bail pleas

The CID is investigating KPSC recruitment scams involving 400 veterinary doctor and 384 gazetted probationer posts. (File Photo)

A former Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) official, who was served notices by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the alleged recruitment scams involving 400 veterinary doctor and 384 gazetted probationer posts, has withdrawn his anticipatory bail pleas in both cases.

T Prakash, a retired assistant secretary in the KPSC, was a signing official on selection lists put out by the KPSC in recent years. In August, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched his properties following allegations of fraud in the KPSC.

Prakash withdrew his pleas this week, shortly after a state prosecutor informed a special court for CID cases that the ED should file objections in the cases, and that one of the cases had been handed to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Karnataka High Court.

“Advocate for petitioner files memo for withdrawal. As per memo, petition is dismissed as withdrawn with liberty to file a fresh petition if required,” the special court said Thursday. Prakash had approached the court for anticipatory bail after the CID served him notices to take part in the investigations, sources said.

From exams to interviews: Bribes at different stages

On September 28, the special court had noted the state’s argument that it “is not in a position to furnish information regarding the present stage of investigation and also the ED is investigating the said matter and hence, report may be called from ED”.

The ED, which conducted searches at properties linked to KPSC officials in August—including former chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and KPSC member Shantha Hosamani—has reported finding incriminating handwritten notes detailing monetary transactions with KPSC aspirants at a KPSC official’s property.

The central agency has stated in court arguments that KPSC officials collected bribes from aspirants at various stages of selection: examinations, interviews, and finalisation of merit lists.

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In the veterinary doctors’ recruitment scam, former KPSC exam controller Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar has been arrested by the CID and ED for allegedly leaking question papers in return for bribes of over Rs 1.5 crore paid by candidates through an arrested middleman, Basavaraj Kannale.

In the gazetted probationers case, Hosamani is under investigation by the CID for allegedly sharing 13 phone calls with a selected candidate in a now-withheld list for 384 posts of gazetted probationers or Karnataka Administrative Service officers, for which over 2 lakh aspirants wrote the preliminary exams. The phone calls occurred before the candidate’s interview.