KPSC Recruitment Case: ED Arrests Sahukar And Geetha

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BENGALURU: The Enforcement Directorate has arrested suspended Karnataka Public Service Commission chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and commission member B.V. Geetha in its investigation into an alleged cash-for-selection racket linked to the recruitment of 400 veterinary officers.

The two were arrested on October 6 after searches at their premises, the ED said in a press release issued on October 8. They were produced before the Special Court for PMLA cases, CCH-4, on October 7, and the court granted the agency 14 days’ custody for investigation.

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ED alleges answer keys sold for ₹20–40 lakh

The Bengaluru Zonal Office said its investigation found an organised mechanism for generating proceeds of crime through manipulation of KPSC recruitment. It identified alleged question-paper leaks, leaks of candidate-specific answer keys and exploitation of the confidential 1:3 merit list to demand bribes.

According to the ED, certain veterinary-officer candidates received correct answer keys on January 8, 2026, a day before the examination, for alleged bribes ranging from ₹20 lakh to ₹40 lakh per candidate. The agency alleged that Sahukar and Geetha supplied the keys in exchange for illegal gratification.

The ED said Geetha obtained leaked answer keys from Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, an IAS officer who was then KPSC’s Controller of Examinations and was responsible for custody and supervision of confidential examination material.

Based on candidates’ seating arrangements and access to jumbled question papers and answer keys, Gangwar allegedly provided Geetha with the correct keys for the first 80 questions, the agency said.

Geetha allegedly collected ₹20 lakh in cash as an advance from one candidate against an agreed ₹40 lakh payment. Sahukar allegedly collected ₹10 lakh as an advance from another candidate against an agreed ₹20 lakh, according to the release.

The ED said it had identified six such candidates who secured higher scores in the final selection list and was continuing to identify the complete set of candidates involved.

Ten candidates allegedly taken to villa before exam

The agency said earlier search and seizure operations recovered blank signed cheques amounting to ₹80 lakh and blank signed promissory notes from one successful candidate.

It alleged that ten successful candidates were taken to a resort or Airbnb villa on Bengaluru’s outskirts a day before the examination. There, they were supplied a question paper containing the correct answers to 80 questions and made to practise or memorise them.

The ED alleged that Gangwar leaked the marked question paper through his close associate Basavaraj Kannale. Kannale allegedly collected ₹40 lakh to ₹50 lakh from each candidate in exchange for facilitating selection in the veterinary-officer recruitment examination.

Gangwar was arrested on September 18, 2026, and Kannale on September 17 under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, the release said. The Special Court remanded them to ED custody for 14 days.

After his ED custody, Gangwar was remanded to judicial custody by the Special Court for PMLA cases in Bengaluru. The agency said his custodial questioning yielded information about irregularities in various KPSC recruitment examinations.

Confidential merit lists allegedly used to demand bribes

The ED said seized material and its questioning of Gangwar indicated that certain KPSC members and officials used the confidential 1:3 merit list to induce candidates to pay bribes by assuring them of selection.

The commission does not usually disclose individual candidates’ marks when publishing the 1:3 eligibility list, according to the release. The agency alleged that members and officials accessed confidential merit positions through the Controller of Examinations, assessed candidates’ likelihood of selection and approached them for illegal payments.

Depending on the nature and level of the post, alleged bribe demands ranged from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh, the ED said. It alleged that this confidential information was misused to extract illegal gratification and generate proceeds of crime.

Searches and money-laundering investigation

The probe is based on multiple FIRs registered at Vidhana Soudha Police Station, Bengaluru, under Sections 318(3), 318(4), 336(2), 336(3) and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the ED said.

Searches at Sahukar’s and Geetha’s premises were carried out under Section 17 of the PMLA on October 6. They were subsequently arrested under Section 19 for their alleged involvement in generating, collecting and handling proceeds of crime, according to the agency.

The investigation is continuing, the ED said.