KPSC Case: ED Arrests Suspended Chairman Sahukar, Member Geetha

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested suspended Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar and KPSC member BV Geetha after conducting searches at Sahukar’s residence in Dollars Colony, Sanjaynagar.Last week, the ED completed questioning suspended IAS officer and former KPSC controller of examinations Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar after taking him into custody. Another accused in the case, self-styled political activist Basavaraj Kannale, was also questioned by the agency. Both Gangwar and Kannale are currently in judicial custody at Bengaluru Central Prison after their bail pleas were rejected by the courts.On Tuesday morning, a team of ED officials reached Sahukar’s residence and recorded his statement. He was detained later in the evening. Another ED team picked up KPSC member BV Geetha from her flat in an apartment in Dollars Colony, Sanjaynagar, for questioning.The ED had earlier recorded statements from several candidates, including Suguresh, a close relative of Sahukar who had secured unusually high marks, according to the FIR. Sources said Sahukar was detained based on Suguresh’s confession.The investigation has also found that Sahukar allegedly called Gangwar twice on the night of January 7, a day before the examination. Gangwar is accused of sharing the question paper and an answer script with Suguresh, who allegedly later shared them with Geetha.Sahukar, a native of Hemanala village in Raichur district’s Devadurga taluk, holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering. He was appointed as a KPSC member in September 2019 and was elevated as chairman in April 2021 by then governor Vajubhai Vala on the recommendation of the state government, succeeding Shadakshari Swamy.Sahukar has also faced scrutiny in a separate case involving allegations that his daughter submitted a fraudulent income certificate showing an annual family income of Rs 40,000 to claim reservation under Category 3B for government employment.The Karnataka High Court had criticised the declaration as a “fraud” and an “eyewash”, observing that Sahukar was drawing a substantial salary as KPSC chairman. He was subsequently suspended from office following cabinet recommendations.

He is also under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over alleged irregularities, paper leaks and cash-for-jobs cases linked to recruitment examinations, including the recruitment of 400 veterinary officers and other gazetted posts.The investigations have alleged the involvement of middlemen and illegal transactions in exchange for candidate selections. His anticipatory bail plea was earlier rejected by the High Court after the CID presented evidence allegedly linking him and his associates to middlemen.The ED is investigating the money-laundering aspects of the alleged recruitment scams and has conducted searches as part of its probe into the financial trail and suspected illicit assets.