The Enforcement Directorate has received permission from a magistrate court to question IAS officer Gnanendra Kumar Gangwar and alleged intermediary Basavaraj Kannale in connection with the Karnataka Public Service Commission examination irregularities case, according to a report by Prajavani published on September 11.
The court has allowed ED officials to take the two accused into custody inside Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison and record their statements. Investigators are expected to visit the jail on Friday or Saturday, the report said.
Gangwar and Kannale were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department on August 30. The CID obtained their custody for 10 days and questioned them before the custody period ended. The ED subsequently approached the court seeking permission to question both men as part of its investigation into the alleged financial transactions linked to the case.
Gangwar, who had served as an examination controller, and Kannale are accused of being involved in the alleged sale of question papers, according to CID sources cited by Prajavani. Investigators have alleged that money connected to the case was used to purchase property in Gangwar’s native place and that jewellery worth ₹26 lakh was gifted to a woman working for a private news channel in Delhi.
The CID has also alleged that approximately ₹38 lakh from the suspected proceeds was transferred to a benami account. According to the report, investigators questioned Gangwar about jewellery purchases made at stores in Bengaluru and Delhi. The report said he initially denied purchasing any jewellery, but investigators confronted him with receipts and CCTV footage and subsequently recorded an alleged confession.
The allegations have not been adjudicated by a court. The ED’s questioning is expected to focus on the financial trail and the statements of the accused in relation to the suspected proceeds. The court’s permission allows the agency to record their statements while they remain in prison.
The case also involves former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar, who is currently untraceable, according to the report. CID special teams have searched locations in Bengaluru, Kalaburagi and other states in an effort to locate him. The Karnataka High Court rejected his anticipatory bail application on September 7, after which investigators said his mobile phone had been switched off and he had stopped responding to contacts.
The next reported step is the ED’s visit to Parappana Agrahara prison to question Gangwar and Kannale and document their statements in the ongoing investigation.
