Bengaluru: The Supreme Court has modified the Karnataka High Court’s order constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) veterinary officers’ recruitment case, allowing the state government to replace senior IPS officer Alok Kumar (1994: KN) and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) chief Divya Gopinath.
The apex court directed Karnataka’s Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police, M.A. Saleem, to recommend two replacement members, including the head of the SIT, within 10 days. The revised team’s composition will subsequently be reviewed by the Karnataka High Court.
The Supreme Court also clarified that the SIT would take over the investigation from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) rather than conduct an entirely fresh investigation as directed by the High Court.
Supreme Court Modifies Karnataka High Court’s SIT Order
On September 21, the Karnataka High Court constituted a five-member SIT to investigate alleged irregularities in the recruitment of 400 Veterinary Officers through the KPSC, along with a separate recruitment-related case.
The High Court had directed the team to complete its investigation within 100 days and submit periodic progress reports. It also ordered the CID and the jurisdictional police to hand over the relevant records and evidence to the new team.
The Karnataka government challenged the order before the Supreme Court, objecting to the selection of specific officers without prior consultation and questioning the need for a fresh investigation when the CID was already conducting a probe.
On October 1, the Supreme Court stayed the relevant portions of the High Court’s order while examining the state’s objections. In its subsequent decision, the apex court modified the arrangement and allowed the state to propose changes to the SIT’s membership.
Why Did Karnataka Object to Alok Kumar and Divya Gopinath?
The state government raised objections to the appointment of Alok Kumar as the SIT head, referring to past proceedings involving the senior IPS officer.
It also cited a potential conflict of interest concerning Divya Gopinath, who heads the state’s Forensic Science Laboratory. The government argued that the FSL would be responsible for examining important digital and physical evidence relevant to the investigation.
The other officers named in the original team were Anup A. Shetty, Kushal Chouksey and Kshama Mishra.
The Supreme Court’s decision changes the composition of the investigation team but does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing by any of the officers concerned.
What Is the KPSC Veterinary Officers’ Recruitment Case?
The case concerns alleged irregularities in the recruitment of approximately 400 Veterinary Officers by the KPSC. Investigators have examined allegations of question-paper leaks, unauthorised access to answer keys, manipulation of examination records and irregularities involving Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) answer sheets.
The CID investigation led to the arrest of former KPSC examination controller and IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, as well as alleged middleman Basavaraj Kannale.
According to the investigation, Gangwar is accused of helping leak examination questions to candidates through an intermediary. The allegations remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings.
Key allegations under investigation
- Question-paper leak: Investigators are examining allegations that questions from the veterinary officers’ recruitment examination were shared with selected candidates before the test.
- Answer-key irregularities: The probe has examined alleged unauthorised access to answer keys and discrepancies involving candidates’ examination results.
- OMR manipulation: Investigators are looking into suspected irregularities involving the recording and evaluation of candidates’ answers.
- Bribery allegations: Investigators are examining claims that intermediaries sought money from candidates in exchange for assistance with recruitment.
These are allegations under investigation and should not be treated as established findings against every person named in connection with the case.
Enforcement Directorate Probes Suspected Money Trail
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also investigated suspected money laundering linked to the alleged recruitment irregularities.
On October 6, the agency arrested suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and KPSC member B.V. Geetha in connection with alleged irregularities involving the recruitment examination. Investigators have examined allegations that answer keys were leaked to selected candidates in exchange for bribes.
The broader investigation has also involved scrutiny of financial transactions allegedly connected to intermediaries and other accused individuals. The arrests and allegations remain subject to legal proceedings.
Two KPSC Recruitment Cases Under Scrutiny
The Karnataka High Court’s September order covered two recruitment-related matters.
The first concerns alleged irregularities in the selection of 400 Veterinary Officers through the KPSC.
The second involves the recruitment of the suspended KPSC chairman’s daughter as an industrial extension officer in the state’s industries department. She was allegedly selected using an income certificate that misstated her family’s annual income, enabling her to claim benefits under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation category.
The two cases form part of the wider scrutiny of recruitment procedures and alleged irregularities involving the commission.
Alok Kumar Disputes State’s Submissions on Past Phone-Tapping Case
The Supreme Court proceedings also brought renewed attention to a separate controversy involving Alok Kumar’s professional record.
Kumar, currently serving as Director General of Police for Prisons and Correctional Services, wrote to Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh on October 5, disputing submissions made on behalf of the state government before the Supreme Court regarding an alleged pending CBI investigation into the 2019 phone-tapping case.
In his representation, Kumar maintained that the claim was inconsistent with official records and had unnecessarily brought his integrity and reputation into question.
He also stated that a proposal to initiate disciplinary action against him had been dropped after his representations were examined by the then chief minister in March 2023.
Kumar further said that a show-cause notice and chargesheet issued in May 2025 were quashed by the Central Administrative Tribunal in October 2025. Although the state challenged the tribunal’s order before the Karnataka High Court, he noted that the High Court had not granted an interim stay.
These statements reflect Kumar’s account of the proceedings. The dispute over his past record was separate from the Supreme Court’s decision to modify the composition of the KPSC investigation team.
Investigation to Continue Under Revised SIT
The Supreme Court’s order provides for the investigation to continue under a reconstituted SIT, with the Karnataka DGP tasked with recommending replacements within the prescribed period and the High Court retaining a role in reviewing the team’s composition.
The revised arrangement is intended to allow the probe to proceed while addressing the state’s objections to the original appointments and the direction for a fresh investigation.
The investigation will continue to examine the alleged recruitment irregularities, the evidence collected by the CID and the suspected involvement of individuals connected with the recruitment process.
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