The Karnataka High Court has on August 14 [Friday] denied granting interim protection from arrest to Ex-KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar over a case pertaining to the alleged irregularities in the KSPC Veterinary Officers Recruitment Scam.

The petitioner had moved an anticipatory bail plea seeking interim protection as well. Sahukar had moved the high court after Additional City Civil and Sessions Court at Bengaluru had rejected his anticipatory bail application on August 11.

The single judge bench of Justice S Vishwajith Shetty refused to grant interim anticipatory bail while posting the matter to Tuesday [August 18].

However, the court allowed the interim application pertaining to dispensation of certified copies of order rejecting the anticipatory bail application before the Sessions Court.

The co-ordinate bench has granted interim protection in the Section 482 CrPC petition, Senior Counsel Aruna Shyam told the court about a coordinate bench's order earlier ordering that if coercive steps were to become necessary in future, the leave of the court was to be sought by the State.

“I am not granting any protection”, the court orally told the counsel.

The sessions court had held that the petitioner, who was the Chairman of KPSC when the examination was conducted, cannot be granted anticipatory bail given the serious nature of allegations involving corruption in the selection process, which has allegedly deprived meritorious candidates of their rightful opportunities.

The trial court also noted that the petitioner who was the Chairman of KPSC at the relevant time, failed to disclose his position in the petition and that custodial interrogation is required to unearth the larger conspiracy.

The case originates from a complaint lodged on July 25, 2026, by Dr. Manjunath, a Veterinary Doctor and an unsuccessful candidate, alleging serious irregularities in the KPSC recruitment notification for 400 Veterinary Officer posts in the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department. The examination was conducted on January 8, 2026, and the final selection list was published on July 17, 2026.

The complaint alleged that several candidates who are relatives of the sitting Chairman, Members, and staff of KPSC secured top ranks. It was further alleged that candidates with average academic performance secured more than 400 marks, while even Gold Medalists and candidates who excelled in UPSC's IFS examinations failed to secure 350 marks.

Case Title: Sahukar S Shuvasanakarappa v. State of Karnataka

Case No: Crl P 12410/2026