Bengaluru, Sep 21 (IANS): The Karnataka High Court on Monday ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by senior IPS officer Alok Kumar, to probe the alleged scam in the recruitment of veterinary officers conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC).
The court directed the SIT to complete the investigation and submit its report within 100 days.
The court further instructed the SIT to file a progress report every 30 days. It noted that “all connected petitions seeking to quash the cases will be taken up only after the SIT submits its report.”
The development has assumed importance as jailed IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar and BJP leader Basavaraj Kannale are being grilled by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has repeatedly targeted Home Minister Priyank Kharge over the recruitment scam.
MLA Basanagouda Patil and activist Manjunath filed the petition, seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A High Court bench headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna directed the state government to accord the SIT police station status and issue a notification at the earliest.
Alok Kumar will head the SIT, which will comprise senior IPS officers Divya Gopinath, Anoop Shetty, Kushal Choukse and Kshama Mishra. The High Court also directed the ED to extend all necessary cooperation to the SIT.
The court instructed the SIT to complete the investigation within 100 days and submit progress reports once every 30 days. It also directed the CID to hand over all case-related records to the SIT. Police currently investigating the case have been instructed to hand over the documents within one week.
The High Court further directed the state government to accord police station status to the SIT and issue the necessary notification at the earliest. It also ordered that no obstruction should be caused to the investigation.
The case came to light soon after the results of the veterinary officers’ recruitment examination were announced, when more than 50 candidates lodged complaints at the Vidhana Soudha police station. Subsequently, audio conversations emerged in which alleged mediators were heard demanding bribes ranging from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 80 lakh for each veterinary officer post.
Given the seriousness of the allegations, the state government handed the investigation over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The ED is also investigating the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Several people, including former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and candidates, have already been questioned. IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar, who was the KPSC examination controller, and Basavaraj Kannale, identified as a key kingpin and middleman in the alleged scam, have also been arrested and are being questioned.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
