Archive · 7 Oct 2026
ED Arrests Suspended KPSC Chairman and Member in Recruitment Probe
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating alleged cheating in an exam to hire veterinary officers in Karnataka.
It arrested suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar and commission member B. V. Geetha.
The agency is looking into claims that exam papers were leaked and answer sheets were changed.
It is also examining allegations that relatives of commission officials were helped in the final selection.
The ED says middlemen demanded large bribes from some candidates.
One report gives a demand of Rs 70 lakh to Rs 80 lakh per candidate, while another describes alleged payments of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh for leaked papers.
The agency had already arrested former examination controller Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and alleged middleman Basavaraj Kannale.
These are allegations under investigation, not established findings.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested suspended Karnataka Public Service Commission chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar and commission member B. V. Geetha.
The arrests concern alleged irregularities in KPSC recruitment of 400 veterinary officers and a related money-laundering investigation.
The ED is examining allegations of question-paper leaks, OMR answer-sheet tampering and preferential selection of officials’ relatives.
The agency says middlemen demanded Rs 70 lakh to Rs 80 lakh per candidate for selection; another report describes alleged leaked-paper bribes of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh.
The ED previously arrested former examination controller Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and alleged middleman Basavaraj Kannale; it said it would seek custody of Sahukar and Geetha.
- Who
- The Enforcement Directorate arrested suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar and commission member B. V. Geetha.
- What
- Their arrests are part of a money-laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the recruitment exam for veterinary officers.
- When
- The reports describe arrests on Tuesday and Wednesday; one says the two were taken into custody on October 6. The accounts differ on the reporting timeline.
- Where
- Karnataka, with searches and arrests reported in Bengaluru.
- Why
- The ED is investigating allegations of exam-paper leaks, OMR answer-sheet tampering, bribe demands and assistance in final selections.
Allegations and investigation
Procedural status
Claims of recruitment irregularities
Allegations and investigation
The ED is investigating allegations of paper leakage, OMR answer-sheet tampering, bribe demands and favoritism in the final selection.
Procedural status
The reports describe these matters as allegations in complaints and an ongoing investigation; they do not report established findings or a response from the arrested officials.
Reported bribe amounts
Allegations and investigation
One report says middlemen demanded Rs 70 lakh to Rs 80 lakh per candidate for selection.
Procedural status
Another report says alleged bribes of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh per candidate were linked to leaking the question paper; the reports describe different amounts and alleged purposes.
- Investigating agency
- Enforcement Directorate (ED)
- Commission involved
- Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC)
- Newly arrested
- Suspended chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar and member B. V. Geetha
- Recruitment
- KPSC exam to hire 400 veterinary officers
- Alleged bribe figures
- One account says middlemen demanded Rs 70 lakh to Rs 80 lakh per candidate for selection; another reports alleged payments of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh for leaked papers.
- Earlier arrests
- Former examination controller Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and alleged middleman Basavaraj Kannale
- Earlier searches
- The ED said it searched 21 premises across Karnataka and Gujarat on August 18.
- Stated next step
- The ED said Sahukar and Geetha would be produced before a special PMLA court and that it would seek their custody.
Sources
ED Arrests Suspended KPSC Chairman Sahukar, Member BV Geetha
KPSC Recruitment Scam: ED Arrests Suspended Chairman Sahukar & Member BV Geetha Over Veterinary Officer Exam Irregularities
