KPSC Recruitment Scam: Karnataka Court Directs ED to Produce Shivashankarappa, Geetha by Noon

The ED arrested the two around midnight in connection with the alleged KPSC recruitment scam and brought them before a magistrate around 2 a.m. The agency had sought 14 days of custody of the accused.

Bengaluru Fourth CCH Judge Manjunath granted the ED custody of the two accused and directed that they be produced before the court again. The court also ordered that they be brought before the open court by 3 p.m.

The arrests followed the completion of ED custody of BJP leader Basavaraj Kannale and IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar. The court produced both before it and subsequently sent them to judicial custody.

The ED then arrested Shivashankarappa and Geetha as part of its investigation into alleged irregularities in KPSC recruitment.

Meanwhile, more than eight candidates linked to the alleged scam are likely to be examined as witnesses. Their statements are expected to be recorded before a court under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The candidates have reportedly expressed their willingness to provide information about the alleged recruitment irregularities. Their statements are expected to cover allegations involving payments, the alleged leakage of question papers and arrangements made to train candidates at a resort before taking them to examination centres.

More than eight candidates have also reportedly given statements to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), detailing alleged payments, question paper leakage and arrangements made during the recruitment process.

The ED is investigating suspected financial transactions and the alleged involvement of officials, intermediaries and other individuals in the recruitment process.

The alleged KPSC recruitment scam involves accusations of question paper leaks, financial transactions and preferential treatment being provided to certain candidates.

According to the investigation, alleged bribes ranged between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 80 lakh. The ED is examining 13 recent recruitment drives, including recruitment of veterinary officers, amid allegations of corruption.

Investigators have also alleged that intermediaries targeted aspirants seeking government jobs. The probe has raised allegations that marks were withheld from publicly available lists and OMR sheets were manipulated to favour certain candidates.

The ED subsequently initiated a money laundering investigation alongside the criminal probe. The Karnataka High Court has also constituted a Special Investigation Team to investigate the allegations, with DGP Alok Kumar heading the five-member SIT.