CID submits report on KPSC scam

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which was entrusted with investigation of the job scam in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) in June, has submitted its final report to the government in the case.

The CID has sought the State government’s permission to file charge sheet against eight persons, including the then KPSC chairman Gonal Bheemappa, responsible for irregularities while filling up 362 gazetted probationary posts in 2011.

The officers whom the CID wants to charge-sheet include Bheemappa, the present KPSC member Dr Mangala Sridhar, the then secretary K R Sundar, section officer Arunachalam, Mangala's personal assistant Ashok Kumar, BWSSB engineer Sudheer, BDA engineer Somesh Chickmath and secretariat employee Rajashekhar.

Several candidates had accused the KPSC of deliberately awarding them less marks during interview even when they had scored high marks in written examination. One of the aspirants, Dr H P S Maithri, had accused Mangala Sridhar of demanding a Rs 70-lakh bribe to see her through. The CID report has found out all such allegations to be true, said sources.

Chief Secretary S V Ranganath is studying the report and is likely to take up the matter with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah once he returns from the China tour. The State government is likely to permit the CID to charge-sheet the eight persons named in the report.

The Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms had lodged a complaint with the Vidhana Soudha Police about the irregularities and corruption in the recruitment of 362 Class ‘A’ and Class ‘B’ officers, and the case was transferred to the CID. This happened after a section of the media exposed the corrupt nexus between the KPSC members, touts and the candidates in the recruitment process.

Bipin Gopalakrishna, DGP, CID, told Deccan Herald that the CID had completed the investigation into the case. He said the CID on Wednesday morning submitted a 200-page report to the chief secretary.

He said the government had asked them to also look at how KPSC examinations and recruitment could be made fool-proof.

He said based on the investigations into the case and after seeing first-hand the extent of corruption that had permeated into the body and the modus operandi of the members and touts, the CID had made seven recommendations to the government.
However, he refused to elaborate on the recommendations.

As the chief minister is away in China, it is not proper to comment on the contents of the report before discussing them with him, he said. The report is only recommendatory in nature and it is up to the government to act on it further, he said.

The report also has the complete update on the investigation into the case.
Gopalakrishna said the CID would write to the government seeking sanction to prosecute certain officers, following which they would file the charge sheet in a suitable jurisdictional court.

He said they were consulting legal experts and were in the process of preparing the charge sheet, which would be filed shortly. He expressed confidence that the CID had a solid case against all those found culpable.