HC asks K’taka govt not to release dates of PSI recruitment re-examination

A divisional bench of the Karnataka high court has issued an interim order asking the state government not to announce the dates of a re-examination for the recruitment of 545 police sub-inspector posts.

The order was issued based on a petition filed by three candidates from Kolar, who opposed the government’s announcement that recruitment examination will be conducted again.

The criminal investigation department (CID) registered a case on April 9 after it was discovered that marks were forged by a few aspirants in the common entrance test (CET) conducted for the PSI recruitment.

Following this, the results of the examination were nullified by the state government.

Home minister Araga Jnanendra, during a press conference in the last week of April, said the government had decided to conduct a re-examination for the post of PSI in Karnataka. The petition was filed in connection with the announcement.

Director general and inspector general of police Praveen Sood on Thursday said the police department stopped all recruitments until the CID completes its probe into the PSI scam.

Apart from the controversial rank list, which has been blacklisted after incidents of malpractice came to light, police were to conduct a second recruitment driver for sub-inspectors this year as well.

“Since the matter is currently sub-judice, we will not conduct a re-examination for the blacklisted rank list or conduct an examination of any other recruitment for civil sub-inspector posts till the investigation is over,” said Sood.

In July, a group of candidates approached Karnataka Administrative Tribunal demanding that those who have cleared the examination and have not been arrested by the CID should be allowed to enter service. However, Karnataka police have informed the tribunal that until CID completes the investigation, all candidates remain persons of interest in the case, and this appointment can’t be made.

Meanwhile, CID officials looking into the police sub-inspector (PSI) recruitment scam on Wednesday submitted an additional charge sheet against Amrit Paul, the additional director general of police (ADGP).

Paul is the first ADGP — the second-highest rank in the police hierarchy — to be arrested in connection with a corruption case in the state.

CID arrested Paul, who was heading the police recruitment cell in Karnataka after his name cropped up in the ongoing investigation into the PSI case, where money was taken from candidates to enable them to cheat during their examinations or for tampering their answers sheets after the exam.

A senior officer said the additional charge sheet has seven volumes and was around 1,406 pages long with 78 documents and 38 witnesses.

It was alleged that accused number 31 in the case, deputy superintendent of police Shanthakumar, gave Paul ₹1.5 crore. Paul had given him keys to the almirah in the strong room to tamper with a few OMR sheets.

Paul, arrested on July 4 and later suspended, is the 35th accused named in a case registered at High Grounds police station. Paul was arrested under sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 and 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 461 (dishonestly breaking open receptacle containing property), 471(using as genuine a forged 1) and 120 B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

While contesting Paul’s bail plea, the prosecution, on behalf of the CID, informed the court that former DySP Shanta Kumar, who has also been arrested in the case, had handed over ₹1.3 crore that he had allegedly collected from some PSI aspirants to a few individuals on Paul’s instructions. The prosecution said police needed Paul’s custody to recover that money.

Continuing with the case the CID arrested a hostel warden was arrested on Thursday in connection with the PSI recruitment scam. Ravutappa Valikar (35), employed with a residential school of the social welfare department in Gundagurti village of Chitapur taluk, is an accomplice of D R Patil, the prime accused in the case.

According to police, the warden used to provide answers to the candidates appearing for the examination at Jnanajyoti English Medium School here using Bluetooth. Ravutappa, who hailed from Sonna village of Afzalpur taluk, colluded with the prime accused in exam irregularities. He was appointed as warden in the hostel in 2019 and remained absconding after the scam came to light.