File image from earlier KPSC recruitment case coverage; right-hand screenshot cropped from the archived supplied collage.
Bengaluru: Karnataka has granted prosecution sanction against IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar in the corruption case linked to the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment scam, the Chief Minister’s Office announced on October 24.
The order excerpt shared with the announcement records approval under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. It bears Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s signature and file number DPAR/259/SEC/2026.
The Chief Minister’s Office said the government would not shield those responsible for corruption or tolerate wrongdoing that damaged young aspirants’ prospects and trust in fair recruitment. It reiterated a commitment to selection based on merit and to accountability in public recruitment.
Gangwar, KPSC’s former Controller of Examinations, had earlier been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in its separate money-laundering investigation into the alleged recruitment racket.
October 24, 2026 — CM of Karnataka
The case behind the prosecution sanction
The investigation concerns alleged manipulation of recruitment for 400 veterinary-officer posts. As detailed in TBL’s earlier report on the KPSC paper-leak investigation, the ED alleged that confidential question papers containing correct answers were passed to candidates in exchange for money.
In its September 30 statement, the agency alleged that Gangwar, who was responsible for supervising and safeguarding confidential examination material, facilitated access to a marked question paper through his associate Basavaraj Kannale. The ED said Gangwar was arrested on September 18 and Kannale on September 17. Those were earlier developments in the money-laundering probe.
The agency alleged that candidates negotiated payments, furnished signed blank cheques or promissory notes, and were taken to a resort on Bengaluru’s outskirts to memorise answers before being transported to examination centres. These remain investigative allegations.
Subsequent arrests and alleged answer-key payments
The ED subsequently announced the October 6 arrests of suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and commission member B.V. Geetha. In its October 8 statement, covered in TBL’s report on the Sahukar–Geetha arrests, the agency alleged that certain candidates were given correct answer keys a day before the January 9, 2026 examination for payments ranging from ₹20 lakh to ₹40 lakh.
The ED alleged that Geetha obtained the keys from Gangwar and that confidential merit-list information was also misused to solicit payments. Its money-laundering investigation is based on multiple FIRs registered at Vidhana Soudha Police Station in Bengaluru.
The prosecution sanction announced on October 24 is a further development in the corruption case. The official announcement and attached order excerpt do not report a finding of guilt or include Gangwar’s response.
About the Author
