ED arrests suspended KPSC chairman, member over alleged veterinary exam bribery
Bengaluru, Oct 8 (TNT): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested suspended Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and KPSC Member B V Geetha in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment examination for 400 Veterinary Officers, the agency said on Thursday.
The ED’s Bengaluru Zonal Office is investigating the case based on multiple FIRs registered at Vidhana Soudha Police Station in Bengaluru under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
According to the agency, its investigation has revealed an alleged organised mechanism involving manipulation of the KPSC recruitment process to generate proceeds of crime.
The ED said the alleged modus operandi included leakage of question papers, leakage of candidate-specific answer keys and misuse of the confidential 1:3 merit list to demand illegal gratification from candidates.
The investigation found that certain candidates were allegedly provided correct answers a day before the Veterinary Officers’ examination held on January 8, 2026, in return for bribes ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 40 lakh per candidate.
The agency alleged that Sahukar and Geetha were involved in demanding and collecting illegal gratification.
It further alleged that Geetha had obtained access to leaked answer keys from Gyannendra Kumar Gangwar, IAS, then Controller of Examinations, KPSC.
The ED said the leaked material was allegedly used to provide correct answers to selected candidates.
Six such candidates who secured higher scores in the final selection list have so far been identified and further investigation is underway to identify other candidates.
During searches conducted on October 6, the ED seized blank signed cheques amounting to Rs 80 lakh and blank signed promissory notes from one of the successful candidates.
The agency also alleged that 10 successful candidates were taken to a resort/Airbnb on the outskirts of Bengaluru a day before the examination, where they were provided with a question paper containing correct answers for 80 questions to practise and memorise.
According to the ED, the question paper was allegedly leaked by the then Controller of Examinations through his close associate Basavaraj Kannale, who allegedly collected bribes ranging from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh from each candidate in consideration of facilitating their final selection.
The agency said Gangwar and Kannale had earlier been arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED further alleged that certain KPSC members and officials exploited the confidential 1:3 merit list to induce candidates to pay bribes by assuring them of selection.
The investigation found that confidential merit-related information was allegedly misused to approach candidates and demand amounts ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh depending on the nature and level of the post.
Sahukar and Geetha were arrested on October 6 under Section 19 of the PMLA and produced before the Special Court for PMLA Cases in Bengaluru.
The court remanded them to ED custody for 14 days.
The investigation is continuing, the ED added.
TNT KM
