The Karnataka High Court has appointed senior IPS officer R Hitendra as the new head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is looking into alleged irregularities in recruitment by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC). Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the order on November 2, according to Jagran Josh.
Key points
- R Hitendra replaces ADGP Alok Kumar as SIT chief; ADGP Soumendu Mukherjee replaces Divya V Gopinath as a member.
- The court said the probe must be independent and free from outside influence.
- The case involves the recruitment of 400 veterinary officers and alleged question paper leaks and bribery.
- Former KPSC controller of examinations and IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar was arrested on August 29.
Changes in the SIT and court's directions
Besides the change of chief, Soumendu Mukherjee joins the team in place of Divya V Gopinath. Three other members, Anup A Shetty, Kushal Chouksey and Kshama Mishra, will stay on. The reconstituted SIT will look into two cases of alleged irregularities in KPSC recruitment.
The court said the purpose of forming the SIT is not just to change the hands holding the investigation, but to ensure it is carried out "with renewed independence". It directed that officers who were part of the earlier Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe must not be included in the SIT or its supporting team. The SIT must keep its work "insulated from the shadow of its predecessor", the court said.
The state government has been told to give the team the staff, infrastructure, technical facilities and other resources it needs. The SIT and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will carry out their investigations independently while coordinating with each other.
What the cases are about
The first case concerns the recruitment of 400 veterinary officers through KPSC. According to the investigation, some candidates allegedly paid bribes of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 40 lakh to get the questions and answers before the test.
The CID probe led to the arrest of Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar on August 29. He is accused of leaking questions and answers to candidates through a middleman, Basavaraj Kannale. The investigation also found that 11 candidates who ranked among the top 15 in the examination held on January 8 and 9 in Bengaluru allegedly had access to the questions and answers.
The second case relates to the alleged illegal selection of the daughter of suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar for a government job.
How the SIT came about
On September 21, the High Court ordered a five-member SIT to investigate the matter. The state government challenged this before the Supreme Court. On October 13, the Supreme Court upheld the formation of the SIT but said it should continue from the stage where the CID had left off. It also allowed the state to suggest alternative officers.
The state then gave four names to the High Court, which chose R Hitendra to lead the team. The CID investigation had remained stalled since the High Court's September 21 order. The SIT will now take the probe forward.
