Bengaluru: Sleuths from Enforcement Directorate tightened the noose around former Karnataka Public Service Commission chairperson Shivashankarappa S Sahukar after a student recorded unusually high marks in the veterinary recruitment exams this year.The candidate under the scanner was Suguresh, a close relative of Sahukar. According to an FIR, his high exam score was ‘abnormal’. Sahukar was detained based on Suguresh’s confession statements, sources said.Also, investigations claimed Sahukar had called IAS officer and former KPSC (controller of examinations) Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar twice on the night of Jan 7, hours before the recruitment exam.It is alleged Gangwar had shared the question paper and an answer script with Suguresh. Later, Suguresh allegedly shared the same with KPSC member BV Geeta.Sahukar, from Hemanala village in Devadurga taluk of Raichur district, holds a degree in agricultural engineering. He was appointed a KPSC member in Sept 2019. In April 2021, he was made KPSC chairman on the recommendation of the state govt, succeeding Shadakshari Swamy.Initially, Sahukar came under scrutiny over allegations that his daughter submitted a fraudulent income certificate declaring an annual family income of ₹40,000 to avail reservation under Category 3B for government posts (such as Industrial Extension Officer).Karnataka high court called the declaration “fraud” and an “eyewash”, noting that Sahukar was drawing a substantial official salary as KPSC chairman. The court emphasized that using false income declarations deprives genuine, underprivileged candidates of quota benefits.Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot suspended Sahukar from office following cabinet recommendations and government rules prohibiting children of KPSC chairpersons from claiming backward-class quota benefits.The embattled officer also faces investigation by Criminal Investigation Department regarding large-scale irregularities, paper leaks, and cash-for-jobs scams in various recruitment exams — notably involving the recruitment of 400 Veterinary Officers and other gazetted officer positions.His anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the high court after CID presented evidence linking him and key associates to middlemen.Alongside state-level criminal investigations, Enforcement Directorate launched money-laundering investigations into the financial trail and illicit assets tied to recruitment scams, leading to raids on his residence.
