The Karnataka Public Service Commission’s KAS selection probe widened after the Criminal Investigation Department told a court that its member Dr Shanta Hosamani and a selected candidate exchanged 13 phone calls in the days before the candidate’s May 8 interview.
The disclosure was made on Friday during the hearing of the candidate’s anticipatory bail plea. The candidate appeared before the CID for questioning in recent days, while Hosamani, 62, is being investigated for alleged corruption in the selection of a Karnataka Administrative Service candidate.
A public prosecutor told the court that the candidate had called Hosamani eight times and that Hosamani had called the candidate five times before the interview. The calls continued until six days before the interview, according to a person familiar with the CID investigation. The nature of the conversations has not yet been established.
The candidate has reportedly told investigators that she contacted Hosamani after identifying her as a doctor and sought advice. She has also claimed that she did not recognise Hosamani when she appeared before the interview panel on May 8. These claims are part of the investigation and have not been established as facts by the court.
The case began after Kantharaju, president of the All Karnataka State Students Association, filed a complaint with Bengaluru police alleging that the KAS selection process had been compromised. The complaint alleged that the candidate paid or agreed to pay illegal gratification in connection with securing a KAS post after her interview.
Hosamani’s anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a sessions court on September 10. She had gone missing after Bengaluru police registered a case on August 7 following a preliminary inquiry, and appeared before the CID for questioning on September 17. Hosamani and the candidate are being investigated under the Karnataka Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Corruption and Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, 2023.
The CID told the court last week that it had not yet determined whether Hosamani collected a bribe to facilitate the candidate’s selection. Investigators are still analysing electronic documents, call detail records, WhatsApp messages, emails and other digital material, according to the agency.
The investigation also focuses on KPSC rules governing contact between panel members and candidates. The CID said the rules state that members should not interview their relatives and should not have contact with candidates. Hosamani has argued that each KAS interview panel consisted of four members and that candidates were assigned to panels through a draw held at 9 am on the day of the interview. She claimed this left no possibility of manipulating the assignment of a particular candidate to a particular panel.
The proceedings have implications for the recruitment of 384 KAS gazetted probationers. More than two lakh aspirants appeared for the preliminary examination in 2024, while 1,152 candidates were called for interviews in May. The posts included 74 positions for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, from which the candidate was selected.
The Karnataka High Court stayed the announcement of the final selection list for all 384 posts on July 31 after a petition alleged irregularities in the process. The CID’s continuing analysis of the digital evidence and the court proceedings will determine the next steps in the investigation and the recruitment process.
