KPSC Recruitment Scam: Karnataka High Court Restrains Filing Of Final Report, State Assures No Coercive Action Against Successful Candidates

The Karnataka High Court on Friday [August 7] restrained the investigating agencies–the jurisdictional police and the CID, from filing the final report in any of the connected cases pertaining to the alleged Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Recruitment scam without prior court permission. 

The  court was hearing a batch of petitions including those filed by BJP MLA Basanagouda R Patil Yatnal, All-Karnataka State Students Association, a successful candidate and an unsuccessful candidate alleging large-scale irregularities in the recruitment of 400 Veterinary Officers by the KPSC.

Yatnal's plea seeks a direction that CBI may be directed to register the necessary FIRs and investigate the entire conspiracy relating to recruitments conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission, including the Industrial Extension Officer recruitment and the Gazetted Probationers recruitment.

The plea by an unsuccessful candidate seeks transfer of the investigation in the FIR registered at Vidhana Soudha Police Station on July 24–alleging large-scale corruption in the recruitment of 400 Veterinary Officers by the KPSC. The third matter pertains to a successful candidate seeking the quashing of FIR registered against him for cheating.

The single judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order after the petitioners expressed apprehension that the CID might rush to file a final report, thereby making it part of the court record, even as the Court was considering their plea for a CBI investigation instead of the ongoing CID investigation.

When the SPP sought 10 days' time to file objections, the petitioners' counsel, Venkatesh Dalwai, expressed a difficulty. He submitted that in the past, investigating agencies had hurried to file final reports in similar cases, which then became part of the judicial record.

Taking note of this apprehension, the court passed a clear order, “The apprehension of petitioners is that in the garb of taking time to file statement of objections, final report will be filed before concerned court, therefore final report in the cases at hand, notwithstanding the fact of completion of investigation, shall not be placed without leave of the Court”.

The Court also took on record the status reports filed by the State Public Prosecutor regarding the investigation conducted by both the jurisdictional police and the CID in the FIRs and granted 10 days to file a detailed objections to the petitions. 

The SPP also submitted that no coercive steps would be taken against the successful candidate if he cooperated with the investigation.

To recap, one among the successful candidates, accused of cheating in the exam, had approached the high court seeking a quashing of an FIR registered against him.

“…Learned SPP in 18.1 would submit that so far as the successful candidate is concerned, if they would cooperate with ongoing investigation, no coercive steps would be taken against them. Submission is taken on record. In case any coercive steps become necessary in the future, seek the leave of the court…”, the court accordingly noted in the order.

The Court also clarified that the assurance would apply across the board to all successful candidates in the crime who are not before the court. The SPP assured the Court that this assurance would apply to all successful candidates who are under the scanner.

During the hearing the SPP submitted that Yatnal's complaint is being investigated by the jurisdictional police, and not the CID. Only the cases pertaining to the Veterinary Doctors' Recruitment scam [filed by successful and unsuccessful candidate respectively] alone has been transferred to CID, the SPP said. 

Meanwhile the plea by the unsuccessful candidate alleges that middlemen acting on behalf of the former KPSC Chairman and members demanded ₹80 lakh per post. ₹40 lakh was allegedly collected before candidates were taken outside Karnataka for training with question papers and answers, while the balance amount was allegedly collected after selection, with original marksheets retained as security.

It has also been alleged by this candidate that middlemen had access to confidential candidate details, including addresses and phone numbers, which were supposed to be available only to KPSC officials. The petitioner further referred to a candidate allegedly related to the suspended KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa, claiming that the candidate secured unusually high marks despite an average academic record.

The high court had on July 29 sought the State Government's response on a plea seeking transfer of the investigation to CBI. 

Advocates Girish Bharadwaj, Venkatesh Dalwai and Ajit P B appeared for the petitioners in the three matters.

The matter will be taken up again on August 20.

Case Title: Dr. Manjunath v. State of Karnataka & Ors. & Connected Matters

Case No.: WP No. 23448/2026 (GM-RES-528-529)