Former Karnataka Public Service Commission member Shanta Hosamani appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department on Thursday and gave a statement in connection with an alleged recruitment irregularities case, after failing to respond to two earlier notices and a lookout notice issued against her.
Hosamani arrived at the CID office in Bengaluru after the 52nd City Civil and Sessions Court rejected her application for anticipatory bail. She had remained at an undisclosed location after an FIR was registered against her at the Vidhana Soudha police station and had sought legal relief through her advocate.
The case concerns allegations that a candidate seeking a gazetted probationer post had contacted members of the KPSC. The complaint was filed by Kanthakumar, president of the Akhila Karnataka Rajya Vidyarthi Sanghatane, against Hosamani and Mamitha, a candidate from Kalaburagi. The FIR was registered on August 7 before the investigation was transferred to the CID.
According to CID sources cited by Prajavani, investigators questioned Hosamani about phone conversations with Mamitha. The agency said it had found that the two had communicated by mobile phone and asked Hosamani to explain three calls made to the candidate. The questioning lasted about eight hours, and her statement was recorded, an investigating officer said.
The investigation has expanded beyond Hosamani’s appearance. The Enforcement Directorate and the CID are conducting separate probes into the alleged irregularities in recruitments conducted by the commission. Investigators had earlier searched Hosamani’s residence in Kalaburagi and seized documents. The lookout notice was issued to prevent her from leaving the country.
A related FIR has also been registered against former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar in the alleged recruitment irregularities involving veterinary officers. IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and alleged intermediary Basavaraj Kannale have been arrested in the same case and are in judicial custody.
The Enforcement Directorate has been questioning Gangwar and Kannale at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison for the past three days, according to the report. The separate CID and ED investigations mean that the recruitment case is being examined through both criminal investigation and financial-enforcement channels.
The immediate next step is the continuation of questioning and evidence collection by the CID, while the ED proceeds with its separate investigation. The allegations remain subject to the ongoing legal process, and the supplied report does not establish the final findings of either agency.
