Bengaluru: Karnataka high court Monday described the alleged scam in the recruitment of 400 veterinary officers as a “systematic fraud” involving officials, their family members, an examination controller and middlemen. It rejected the anticipatory bail plea of suspended Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) chairperson Shivashankarappa S Sahukar.Justice S Vishwajit Shetty said a detailed order would be passed shortly.During the hearing, the court expressed concern over the growing loss of public faith in the examination system and the consequences of irregularities in the recruitment process.“The public is losing faith in the system of examination. We have seen so many meritorious NEET students are committing suicide. What is their mistake?.. These things should be put to an end. They (wrongdoers) should be arrested then and there,” the court orally observed.Referring specifically to the allegations against Sahukar and others, Justice Shetty said, “So many members of your (Sahukar) family are involved. It is nothing but a systematic fraud. Systematic fraud involving you, your family members, the examination controller and middlemen.”The judge also linked alleged examination irregularities to wider public unrest, observing, “(Due to) this kind of fraud, we have recently witnessed one unrest (CJP protest) in our country. You know what was the outcome of that unrest. Because of all these kinds of activities.”Sahukar has been booked under Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating and under provisions of the Karnataka Public Examinations (Measures for Prevention of Corruption and Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, 2023.The complaint alleges that relatives of KPSC officials obtained unusually high marks and that some candidates were allegedly given access to the question paper before the examination. It further alleges that OMR sheets were tampered with to manipulate marks.Investigators have also alleged that middlemen approached candidates with assurances of securing appointments in return for payments of Rs 70-80 lakh, allegedly through manipulation of examination marks.
