Scandal after scandal: Is this the end for Karnataka PSC?
Bribery allegations, tampered OMR sheets, and a ₹400-crore scam have pushed the state Public Service Commission to the brink. Second part of our Jobs Distress series is from Karnataka
We told you how bad things are in West Bengal. Head south, and the picture looks just as grim — this time in Karnataka.
The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), supposed to serve as a bridge to the dreams of lakhs of young people seeking government jobs, is steadily losing credibility amid allegations of malpractice and corruption and now stands on the verge of losing even the responsibility of conducting examinations.
The KPSC, which has earned a bad name over the past few years after a series of scandals, is putting students’ years of hard work and study at risk. Candidates appearing for competitive examinations are expressing deep doubts and anger over the Commission's transparency.
Rs 1-crore bribe allegations
Once known across the country for its recruitment procedures and transparency, the KPSC is now facing the stigma of scandals and corruption. Almost every major recruitment process conducted by the KPSC in recent years has been embroiled in controversy. The alleged scam in the recruitment of veterinary officers is the latest addition to the list.
Read Part 1: Legal twists, endless wait: How Bengal failed a generation of job seekers
In the recruitment of veterinary officers, there were alleged transactions ranging from Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore. There have also been serious allegations that OMR sheets were tampered with. A case has already been registered at the Vidhana Soudha police station in Bengaluru in connection with the irregularities in the KPSC. The Governor has dismissed the Commission’s chairman.
BJP alleges Rs 400-cr scam
BJP state president BY Vijayendra had said that a major scam had taken place in the KPSC recruitment of 400 veterinary officers. It had come to light that aspirants were allegedly being asked to pay a bribe of Rs 80 lakh for a post and it is said to be a scam worth Rs 400 crore. He had said it was surprising that even when such a serious issue as the sale of government posts had come to light, the state government had handed the matter over to an internal committee for inquiry.
He said justice cannot be expected from such committees functioning under the government and that the irregularities in the recruitment processes for various posts, including veterinary officers, should be handed over to the CBI for investigation.
Vijayendra also demanded that the issue of reforming the KPSC be discussed in the legislature.
Transfer of examination responsibility?
With public confidence in the Commission having completely eroded, several major recruitment examinations that were to be conducted by the KPSC are now being handed over to the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA). Although the KPSC is an autonomous body, it has failed to handle examination responsibilities transparently. As allegations of corruption continue to surface, the remaining examinations are being entrusted to the KEA. The KEA, meanwhile, functions under the control of the state government.
Also read: Jharkhand protests: Symptom of deep rot in Public Service Commissions
The government believes that handing over the responsibility of civil services examinations to the KEA, which has successfully conducted the CET and entrance examinations for other professional courses, could bring greater transparency to the examination process.
Expert views
Former KPSC member Dr Chandrakant D Shivakeri, in an interview with The Federal Karnataka, shared his views on the controversies faced by the KPSC and several aspects of the existing system.
''The Public Service Commission is a constitutional body. It must work to build public confidence through transparent examination procedures. It has done several good things in the past and has a history of appointing many honest officers. At the same time, it has also acquired a black mark because of corruption. There was no favouritism during our tenure. We filled KAS posts two or three times. The KPSC has also provided assistance to those who needed it. Whenever controversies or cases arose, members themselves came forward, conducted inquiries and submitted reports to the government. We do not have the power to make laws,'' Shivakeri said.
Responding to the proposal to hand over examination responsibilities to KEA, he said the framers of the Constitution wanted independent regulatory bodies, much like an independent judicial system. This is because once people enter government service, they cannot be easily removed until retirement. Therefore, there must be serious consideration about the kind of people who are appointed to the Commissions, he argued.
''Most people do not understand what is happening within the KPSC. The Commission has the distinction of announcing results as early as the day after conducting examinations for lower-level posts. But no one knows about this. Only issues of corruption and malpractice are coming to the forefront. Those on the Commission must make an effort to change this perception that has taken root in the public sphere. A committee headed by former UPSC PC Hota was appointed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2013, and the panel stripped the KPSC chairman and members of their powers. In such a situation, the chairman and members have no role whatsoever in the examination process,'' Shivakeri explained.
KPSC interview marks reduced
He further said that it is not right to create an alternative authority and transfer examination responsibilities without first fixing the existing system. When an independent institution already exists, creating another institution under the government is not the right approach.
Also read: Daughters' selection, OBC quota row: Why Karnataka Governor suspended KPSC chief
He said he did not agree with the argument that the KPSC should be shut down.
Another former KPSC member, Dr Ronaldo Anil Fernandes, said it was distressing to see incidents of corruption recurring in KPSC.
'It must be examined whether these are the result of systemic shortcomings or other factors. When a controversy had earlier arisen over the recruitment of Assistant Executive Engineers (AEE) in the Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, we ourselves formed a committee and conducted an inquiry. After providing the evidence to the government, we sent it to the forensic laboratory. It was confirmed that the OMR sheets had been tampered with. The matter was subsequently taken up for judicial scrutiny,'' he recalled.
''At present, there are allegations that irregularities are taking place in interviews for KPSC posts. Earlier, the state government had fixed 200 marks for interviews. This has now been reduced to 25 marks. If a candidate receives fewer than 40 per cent or more than 80 per cent in an interview, adequate explanation must be provided. But if the OMR sheet itself has been tampered with, then an investigation must certainly be conducted,'' he said.
Irregularities are not new
The KPSC has a long history of recruitment irregularities. The first recruitment malpractice in the KPSC came to light in 1998. Subsequently, the Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) scandals of 1998, 1999 and 2004 involved the creation of fake documents in the recruitment of Gazetted Probationers.
Following a High Court order, a CID investigation was conducted and a chargesheet was filed against several people, including former chairman HN Krishna. However, decades later, the court acquitted some of the accused on technical grounds.
Serious allegations of large-scale irregularities and corruption were levelled against former chairman Gonal Bhimappa in the 2011 KPSC recruitment of Gazetted Probationers (Group ‘A’ and ‘B’) posts. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) conducted an inquiry into the case and filed a chargesheet against him. The serious allegation was that intermediaries and his personal assistants had demanded lakhs of rupees in bribes from candidates in exchange for awarding higher marks in interviews.
Repeatedly rapped by Courts
Whenever discrepancies have been found in KPSC recruitment, the High Court and the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) have pulled up the examination body on several occasions. The repeated criticism and orders from the Courts have highlighted the administrative failures of the KPSC.
Meanwhile, student organisations across the state have staged protests, demanding that all recruitment scams in the KPSC be handed over to the CBI for investigation.
“Students study day and night and appear for examinations, while posts are being sold to those who pay lakhs of rupees. It is not enough for the Governor to suspend the KPSC chairman; the state government must completely restructure the Commission. Those who committed the irregularities must be sent to jail, and the investigation into the recruitment of veterinary officers must be handed over to the CBI,” All Karnataka State Students' Association (AKSSA) student organisation president Kantakumar told The Federal Karnataka.
A deadline has been set for investigating the irregularities in the Education Department and the KPSC. Mathematics teachers have not been recruited for several years. The KPSC examinations have given preference to descriptive answers. This should be rectified and a multiple-choice format carrying 200 marks should be adopted. If the Chief Minister fails to take action, we will stage protests demanding his resignation, Kantakumar said.
Recruitment orders held up by controversy
Even after the recruitment process through the KPSC is completed and the final selection list is published, recruitment orders for several posts have remained pending for years due to legal hurdles, discrepancies in document verification and delays at the departmental level.
In the recent recruitment process for 400 veterinary officer posts, serious allegations were made that the question paper and answers had been leaked on WhatsApp 48 hours before the examination. An audio recording and video allegedly showing a demand for a bribe of Rs 80 lakh for a single post had also surfaced. As a result, the recruitment orders have been put on hold. The future of more than 300 selected candidates is therefore currently uncertain.
There have also been allegations that family members of former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar illegally submitted false income certificates and availed themselves of reservation benefits. Candidates have approached the Court alleging that widespread irregularities also took place in the evaluation and interviews for Gazetted Probationer posts.
Demand for CBI probe
A petition seeking a CBI investigation into the case is currently being heard. Recruitment processes have been stayed until the matter is decided.
An FIR has been registered at the Vidhana Soudha police station in connection with the recruitment of Junior Engineers in various departments, including the Water Resources Department, and two KPSC employees have been arrested. As the investigation is underway, verification of original documents and subsequent recruitment processes have been delayed.
Public Interest Litigations (PILs) have also been filed in the Karnataka High Court alleging irregularities, favouritism and violations of rules in the recruitment of Extension Officers in the Commerce and Industries Department. The High Court has directed that the recruitment process for these posts should not be finalised without bringing the investigation reports to its notice. As a result, candidates have yet to receive their recruitment orders.
Job aspirants across various parts of the state are staging protests, demanding that the KPSC introduce an examination calendar similar to the UPSC's and that all the "scams" be handed over to the CBI for investigation.
