KPSC scam: ED arrests suspended chairman, member over '₹20-40 lakh' answer key bribes
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has arrested Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar, suspended chairman of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), and KPSC member B.V. Geetha in connection with the alleged manipulation of a recruitment examination for 400 Veterinary Officer posts. The agency has alleged leakage of candidate-specific answer keys and misuse of confidential merit-list data to collect bribes.
The two were arrested after the ED carried out searches at their premises under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. They were produced before the Special Court for PMLA cases (CCH-4), which granted the ED 14 days' custody of both accused.
According to the ED, its investigation has uncovered an organised mechanism through which KPSC officials and members allegedly generated proceeds of crime by manipulating recruitment examinations. The alleged methods included leaking question papers, providing candidate-specific answer keys, and using the confidential 1:3 merit list to demand money from candidates.
The ED has alleged that some candidates were given the correct answer keys a day before the Veterinary Officers' examination, held on January 8, in return for bribes of ₹20 lakh to ₹40 lakh.
Investigators allege that Geetha obtained the leaked answer keys from Jnanendra Kumar Gangwar, an IAS officer who was then Controller of Examinations (CoE) at KPSC and was responsible for confidential examination material. Gangwar allegedly accessed jumbled question papers and answer keys and provided Geetha with the correct answers for the first 80 questions.
The ED has alleged that Geetha collected ₹20 lakh in cash as an advance from one candidate against an agreed bribe of ₹40 lakh, while Sahukar allegedly collected ₹10 lakh as an advance against an agreed ₹20 lakh bribe from another candidate. Six candidates who secured high scores in the final selection list have been identified so far, and the ED has said further investigation is under way to identify all beneficiaries.
The agency had earlier seized blank signed cheques worth ₹80 lakh and blank signed promissory notes from one successful candidate. Investigators also found that 10 successful candidates were allegedly taken to a resort or Airbnb villa on the outskirts of Bengaluru a day before the examination, where they were given a question paper with the correct options for 80 questions and allegedly made to memorise them.
The ED has alleged that the marked question paper was leaked by Gangwar through his close associate Basavaraj Kannale, who allegedly collected ₹40 lakh to ₹50 lakh from each candidate for facilitating their final selection. Gangwar and Kannale were arrested on September 18 and September 17 respectively and remanded to ED custody for 14 days. Gangwar was later sent to judicial custody.
The investigation has also revealed an alleged second method of extracting money. The ED said KPSC normally does not disclose individual marks when publishing the 1:3 eligibility list, but some KPSC members and officials allegedly accessed confidential merit positions from the CoE's office and assessed which candidates were likely to make the final selection. The accused allegedly used that information to approach candidates and assure them of selection in exchange for bribes of ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh, depending on the post.
The ED described the misuse of confidential merit information as part of the mechanism for generating and handling proceeds of crime. The case is at the stage of investigation. The allegations against all those named are yet to be proved, and the accused are presumed innocent unless convicted by a court.
