Panel finds irregularities in KPSC appointments

The fact-finding committee appointed by the High Court has found that during the recruitment of gazetted probationers, the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) had selected many physically challenged candidates who were absent for the personality test, and also those who had failed in the main examination and personality test.

During 2004, several such persons got plum posts as per the committee report, which was submitted to the High Court on January 31, 2014.

For instance, a candidate, Shankregowda Doddamani (Register No 111172), failed to clear the preliminary examination, but he was selected as section officer by the KPSC. It is the same with another candidate K A Hidayathulla (Reg No 128961). 

Vishwanath Hiremath (Reg No 129288) serving as section officer at the Vidhana Soudha had scored 584 marks in the main examination and cleared the interview, while the cut-off marks for personality test were 798.

Besides these two, Indresh (Reg No 110986) scored 615 marks, Ravi C N (Reg No 415206) scored 793 marks, Zia Hulla K N (Reg No 1188834) 680 marks were selected under the physically challenged quota.

During the years 1998, 1999 and 2004, the KPSC members, who conducted personality test, have awarded marks to candidates who were absent, the report states.

In the 1998 batch, Nirmala N (Reg No 105623), now working as a DySP, was marked absent by KPSC chairman H N Krishna, but later on he awarded her 120 marks by overwriting on the papers. Other members H S Patil and Dasaiah too did the same. Patil awarded 110 marks by overwriting and Dasaiah awarded 120 to Nirmala. 

Member Dasaiah also awarded 40 marks to Kusuma Kumari (Reg No 114616) by overwriting and 155 marks to G P Raghu (Reg No 105697) of the same batch. Kumari was appointed Tahsildar and Raghu as assistant controller.

H S Patil awarded 143 marks by overwriting to Raju Moghaveer K during the same year after marking him absent. Two candidates Lalithamma M (Reg No 133128) and M S Subramanya Rao were awarded 70 marks by members Dasaiah and Venkataswamy, respectively. They were later on marked absent.

In 2004, Kiran K S (Reg No 105282) was awarded 90 marks by member Lilian Xavier, but others members Patil, Dasaiah and Venkataswamy marked him absent. For another candidate Thomas, Xavier marked him absent, while the trio awarded him 80 marks each the same year.

Other cases

In some of the cases (No 11146, 11147/ 2002 and 3389, 3289/ 2004) before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal seeking award of marks for translation mistake, the fact-finding committee has confirmed the CID findings that the KPSC officials destroyed the answer sheets when the matter was still pending before the court.

The CID had recommended action against officials responsible for this. In another case, a candidate (No 100496) had scored 228 marks in Kannada paper 1 in the year 2004, but according to the report, his marks were reduced to 168 and he was made a DySP.