Bengaluru: Former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and former commission member B.V. Geetha have been remanded in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody until October 19 following their arrest in an alleged recruitment examination scam.
The ED produced the duo before the PMLA special court after arresting them on Tuesday, October 6. The agency sought 14 days of custodial interrogation, stating that further questioning was required to establish the alleged money trail and the role of those involved in manipulating recruitment examinations.
Special Public Prosecutor Madhu N. Rao told the court that the investigation had allegedly revealed question-paper transactions involving several candidates. According to the ED, candidates were allegedly asked to pay Rs 40 lakh, Rs 60 lakh or Rs 70 lakh for question papers, while one transaction was allegedly settled for Rs 5 lakh shortly before the examination.
The agency claimed that blank cheques, promissory notes and signed papers obtained from candidates were recovered during searches. It also referred to bank deposit receipts allegedly found during searches at the KPSC office and with Shivashankarappa’s personal assistant.
Fathers of two candidates made statements
The prosecution cited statements recorded from the fathers of two candidates. Mallappa, father of Vinutha, allegedly told investigators that Shivashankarappa first sought Rs 50 lakh but later agreed to Rs 20 lakh, with Rs 10 lakh allegedly paid in advance.
In the case involving candidate Nandish, his father Basavarajappa was allegedly in contact with Geetha through WhatsApp. The ED claimed that a proposed Rs 50 lakh deal was reduced to Rs 40 lakh and that Rs 20 lakh was subsequently transferred.
Answers to 80 questions were prepared: Gnanendra
The agency further alleged that Geetha approached examination controller Gnanendra Kumar to facilitate the selection of certain veterinary examination candidates. Gnanendra allegedly disclosed during questioning that answers to around 80 questions had been prepared rather than leaking the entire paper.
Defence counsel opposed the custodial request, saying the CID had already conducted substantial investigation and questioning the need for another probe. They also sought interim bail, citing health concerns.
The court, however, granted ED custody until October 19 and directed the accused to cooperate with the investigation. It also ordered the agency to ensure proper medical care and provide required medicines during custody.
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