A Bengaluru sessions court has sent former Karnataka Public Service Commission chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and former member B.V. Geetha to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the alleged recruitment scam involving 400 veterinary officer posts.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Sahukar and Geetha on October 6 and questioned them for 13 days over suspected irregularities in the examination and recruitment process. ED officials produced the two accused before the city sessions court on Monday afternoon after recording their statements during the investigation.
The agency’s counsel sought additional custody for further questioning. The court heard arguments from the prosecution and the lawyers representing the accused before ordering that both be placed in judicial custody. They were subsequently taken directly to Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara prison.
During the proceedings, the judge asked Sahukar and Geetha whether ED officials had caused them trouble or harassed them during the investigation. Both accused replied that they had not faced such treatment, according to the report.
The case relates to alleged irregularities in the KPSC examination and recruitment of veterinary officers. The recruitment process involved 400 posts. The court’s custody order marks the movement of the investigation from agency custody to judicial custody, while the allegations against the two former commission members remain subject to the ongoing legal process.
The case has also brought scrutiny to the role of public recruitment institutions, which are responsible for conducting examinations and selecting candidates for government posts. Irregularities in such processes can affect applicants, administrative staffing and confidence in merit-based recruitment. The material supplied in the report does not establish the final findings of the investigation or the specific evidence recorded against each accused.
The Enforcement Directorate is also examining the wider chain of alleged examination irregularities. The report said agency officials may again take IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and intermediary Basavaraj Kannala into custody for questioning as more details emerge. Any further custody or questioning will depend on subsequent legal proceedings and court orders.
