ED nabs KPSC’s former head, serving member

The Enforcement Directorate detained former Karnataka Public Service Commission chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and commission member BV Geetha on Tuesday as it examined allegations that two separate networks had identified candidates for government jobs and negotiated appointments in exchange for money, an officer familiar with the investigation said.

The officer said the probe has indicated that two networks operated within the alleged recruitment racket. One allegedly involved intermediaries, including IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar and middleman Basavaraj Kannale, while the other allegedly involved Shivashankarappa and KPSC members. Investigators suspect the networks obtained information about candidates appearing for recruitment examinations, identified those with suitable marks and rankings and approached them through intermediaries with offers of government appointments for payment, the officer said.

The ED’s action followed information allegedly provided by Gyanendra Kumar during questioning. The agency searched Shivashankarappa’s residence in Bengaluru’s Dollars Colony for a second time on Tuesday. Four officials arrived in two vehicles around noon, questioned him and subsequently took him into custody.

The agency searched Geetha’s residence in Bengaluru. “The ED searched the residence of KPSC member BV Geetha in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Shivashankarappa and Geetha were detained by officers and are being questioned,” the officer said.

Investigators are examining allegations that candidate information was extracted from merit lists and other official records. According to the account attributed to Gyanendra Kumar, candidates were selected basis their examination marks and rankings before intermediaries made contact with them.

Some candidates were allegedly asked to make advance payments of between ₹5 lakh and ₹10 lakh, the officer said.

The investigation is examining possible roles of KPSC members, officials, employees and intermediaries in obtaining candidate information and connecting prospective candidates with those allegedly involved in the recruitment deals. Gyanendra Kumar’s interrogation yielded information that indicated the alleged activity may have extended beyond one examination or government department. Investigators are studying recruitments across about 13 departments over the past two to three years, said officers.

Among the recruitments being examined are those for veterinary officers, KAS officers and Motor Vehicle Inspectors in the Transport Department. The probe also covers posts in the Health Department, Assistant Engineers in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, and veterinary officer posts associated with the Fisheries and Animal Husbandry departments.

The ED is examining financial transactions, communications between candidates and intermediaries, recruitment records and the involvement of officials and KPSC members as it develops the case.