Bengaluru, Aug 19 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday continued its search operation at the residence of former Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Chairman Sahukar Shivashankarappa in Dollar’s Colony, Bengaluru.
The ED searches have continued for nearly 26 hours, with officials conducting the operation since Tuesday. The searches continued till late Tuesday night, with two ED officials reportedly staying back at Shivashankarappa’s residence.
The ongoing searches are reportedly part of the agency’s investigation into financial irregularities. ED officials are examining documents and other materials collected from the residence as part of the probe.
Further details regarding the searches and the findings of the ED operation are awaited.
It can be noted that in a major development, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday quashed the suspension order issued to Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar and directed the authorities to reinstate him within seven days.
The ED conducted search operations at 21 locations across Karnataka and Ahmedabad on Tuesday, in connection with alleged irregularities in the KPSC recruitment of Veterinary Officers.
The Bengaluru Zonal Office of the ED carried out the searches under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The premises searched include the KPSC office, the residence of Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar, KPSC member Shanta Hosmani, alleged middlemen, candidates selected for the Veterinary Officer posts and the office premises of Edutest Solutions Pvt. Ltd., which was responsible for the digital evaluation of examination papers.
According to ED officials, the 21 locations are spread across Bengaluru, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Raichur, Karwar, Kalaburagi and Belagavi in Karnataka, besides Ahmedabad (Gujarat).
The searches are linked to multiple FIRs registered at Vidhana Soudha Police Station in Bengaluru alleging serious irregularities in the final selection process for Veterinary Officers.
The complainant in the case had alleged that certain middlemen approached candidates, including him and demanded bribes ranging from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 80 lakh per candidate in exchange for ensuring their selection.
The complainant is also understood to have submitted audio recordings of the alleged middlemen to the law enforcement authorities in support of the allegations.
The complaints further include allegations of question paper leakage, tampering with OMR answer sheets and facilitating the selection of relatives of KPSC officials.
The ED’s search and seizure action is part of its investigation into the alleged financial and recruitment-related irregularities in the KPSC Veterinary Officers recruitment process.
Notably, the KPSC faced a massive cash-for-jobs controversy following the release of the final selection list for 400 Veterinary Officer posts on July 17.
Allegations surfaced that seats were being sold for Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore through middlemen, prompting protests, criminal investigations, and the suspension of the KPSC chairman.
Following an exam on January 8 for 400 veterinary officer posts, results were published on July 17, triggering immediate controversy.
The KPSC subsequently put the list on hold, while the Karnataka government tasked the CID with investigating, leading to the registration of FIRs against key figures and arrests of middlemen.
The Karnataka High Court is reviewing the matter, with demands from some petitioners to shift the investigation from the CID to the CBI.
–IANS
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