The Karnataka Public Service Commission selection row intensified after the Criminal Investigation Department told a court that KPSC member Dr Shanta Hosamani and a selected Karnataka Administrative Service candidate exchanged 13 phone calls before the candidate’s May 8 interview.
The calls were cited during proceedings on Friday in connection with the candidate’s anticipatory bail plea. The candidate has appeared before the CID for questioning in recent days, while Hosamani, 62, is under investigation for alleged corruption in the selection of a KAS candidate.
According to the public prosecutor, the candidate called Hosamani eight times and Hosamani called the candidate five times before the interview. The prosecutor told the court that the calls continued until six days before the interview and that the candidate had admitted contacting the KPSC member during police questioning.
The nature of the conversations has not been established. The candidate has reportedly told investigators that she identified Hosamani as a doctor and contacted her for advice. She has also claimed that she did not recognise Hosamani when she appeared before the interview panel on May 8.
Hosamani was allegedly part of the panel that interviewed and selected the candidate. The CID has not yet determined whether Hosamani collected a bribe to facilitate the selection. The agency told the court last week that electronic documents, call detail records, WhatsApp messages, emails and other digital material were still being analysed.
The investigation began after Kantharaju, president of the All Karnataka State Students Association, filed a complaint with Bengaluru police. The complaint alleged that the KAS selection process had been compromised through corruption to favour the candidate. It alleged that the candidate had paid or agreed to pay illegal gratification in connection with securing a KAS post after her interview.
Hosamani and the candidate are being investigated under the Karnataka Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Corruption and Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, 2023. Hosamani went missing after Bengaluru police registered a case on August 7 following a preliminary inquiry. Her anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a sessions court on September 10, after which she appeared before the CID for questioning on September 17.
The CID has also referred to KPSC rules stating that commission members should not interview their relatives or maintain contact with candidates. Hosamani had earlier 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 there was no possibility of manipulating the assignment of a particular candidate to a particular panel.
The proceedings come as the final outcome of the KAS recruitment remains on hold. The Karnataka High Court stayed the pronouncement of the final selection list for 384 KAS posts on July 31 after a petition alleged irregularities in the process.
More than two lakh aspirants appeared for the 2024 preliminary examination for the 384 posts, including 74 positions for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. Of the candidates who progressed, 1,152 were called for interviews in May, including 222 from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. The candidate under investigation is among the 74 selected for posts from that region.
The KAS examination is a major route into Karnataka’s administrative services and carries significant public responsibilities. The CID’s continuing analysis of call records and other digital evidence, along with the High Court’s stay on the final list, will determine the next stage of the recruitment process.
