KPSC ex-chief held

Krishna arrested for malpractices in selection process

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Friday arrested former chairman of Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) H N Krishna for alleged irregularities in screening candidates for Karnataka Administrative Services (KAS).

A CID investigation has found several malpractices, irregularities, fabrication of caste certificates, threatening and forcibly obtaining signatures of a candidate during 1998, 1999 and 2004 in the selection process of gazetted probationers of Group A and B posts.

Krishna was the chairman of the KPSC between 1998 and 2004. Krishna was produced before the Eighth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court on Friday. Krishna’s counsel submitted that he should get bail as he had to attend the marriage of his adopted daughter on Monday.

The judge granted Krishna interim bail till October 12. However, CID counsel requested the court to cancel his bail and hand him over to the CID for further investigation.

Petitioner Khalil Ahmed and others had approached the High Court seeking a CID probe into the irregularities in the appointment process.

On December 16, 2009, the High Court handed over the investigation to the CID and directed that investigations should be headed by a DIG rank officer. As the CID failed to investigate the matter, even after specific directions of the court, it suggested that the probe be headed by a retired judge.

Following this Judge Mohammed Anwar was appointed to oversee the probe. On August 7, 2011, the CID registered cases against Krishna and KAS officers Y B Archana, D R Roopa, Asha Parveen and Salma Firdous. B V Padmanayan, DIG (CID), issued a notice on August 4 to Krishna to appear in the CID office. However, he failed to turn up citing personal work.

A fresh notice was issued to him directing him to appear on Friday. Krishna came to the CID office at 10:30 am and was taken into custody later. Director-General of Police (CID) Shankar Bidari said Rs 5 lakh was recovered from Krishna and he was arrested after certain charges against him were proved.

In 1998, applications were invited for 415 posts but were later whittled down to 383 posts. In 1999, the number of posts was increased by only one (from 190 to 191). In 2004, the posts were decreased from 169 to 152. Krishna, who last held the post of Karnataka Information Commissioner, resigned on September 19 after the CID filed an FIR against him.