In the ongoing probe into the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment exam paper leak, Karnataka’s CID unit found that 14 top rankers in the exams held on January 9, 2026, used the leaked question papers, as reported by The Indian Express. The finding followed a statistical probability test conducted by the investigators to identify the candidates who cheated using the leaked paper in the examination held for recruiting veterinary doctors.
The test conducted by the investigators showed that 99.9 % of the answers, including correct and wrong answers, marked by the top-ranking candidates in their respective answer sheets matched. A match of over 95% in the answer sheets of suspected candidates is considered a strong indicator of cheating. Based on the test findings, investigators concluded that the 14 rank-holders received leaked question papers before the exam.
The Karnataka CID has been conducting an investigation against the KPSC for the manipulation of recruitment examinations and the leakage of question papers, which took place under the current Congress regime in the state. The investigation also concerns two examinations which were held in multiple-choice question format on January 9.
The investigation so far has revealed that a middleman named Basavaraj Kannale collected bribes totalling ₹1.52 crore from 11 candidates in exchange for leaked question papers. The paper leak was facilitated by KPSC exam controller Gynanendra Kumar Gangwar, who was arrested in August. Days after the arrest of Gangwar, middleman Kannale was also arrested.
The true scale of the recruitment scam came to light when KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar was also found involved in the paper leak and was implicated in the case. An FIR was filed in July against Sahukar, several other officials, and 29 candidates selected in the veterinary doctors recruitment examination. He was found involved in a separate case relating to fraudulent recruitment of his daughters as an Industrial Extension Officer and was placed under suspension.
Sahukar is accused of conspiring with Gangwar to cause the paper leak. CID investigations revealed that Sahukar and his son made CID investigations revealed Sahukar and his son frequently used encrypted internet calls to speak with middleman Kannale. The statistical probability test conducted by the CID also indicated that three candidates might have received questions for the general proficiency paper, one of the two entrance test papers. One of the three candidates was linked to the KPSC chairman.
How the Congress government in Karnataka enabled the scam
The entire scam involving paper leaks had been going on undetected for years under the Congress government in Karnataka. Since 2023, when the current government came to power in the state, several bureaucrats and officials flagged the irregularities in the working of the KPSC. However, the Congress government not only ignored multiple complaints and warnings against Sahukar but also shielded him.
Several officials raised complaints of marks being withheld, answer-sheet manipulation, interview manipulation, and other recruitment irregularities in the examinations conducted by the KPSC, but the state government failed to act on any of them. Last month, the state government transferred IPS officer Kushal Chouksey, who was part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment scam.
The SIT was formed following the orders of the Karnataka High Court to probe irregularities in two separate KPSC recruitment scams: one for veterinary doctors and the other linked to the illegal recruitment of Sahukar’s daughter. Notably, the state government had challenged the High Court’s order before the Supreme Court, claiming that the members of the SIT were selected without consultation with the government.
After the Congress government came to power in the state, Sahukar is said to have resisted transparency measures, including official social media accounts and more recruitment details on the website, introduced by Vikas Suralkar, an IAS officer who had served as KPSC secretary since July 2022.
The power struggle between Sahukar and Suralkar intensified as the former started bypassing the latter in holding meetings and also withheld approval on files. Subsequently, Sahukar filed a complaint against Suralkar, which led to the submission of a report by Suralkar that flagged systemic loopholes and pointed out that “departures from the rules” had resulted in “misuse of authority by the Chairperson and injustice to meritorious candidates.”
After the submission of the report, the Congress government removed Suralkar as KPSC secretary the very next day. His successor, IAS officer Latha Kumari, faced similar resistance when she refused to approve a controversial legal cell approve a controversial legal cell appointment in December 2023. Meanwhile, Sahukar’s activities went on unabated under the tacit protection of the Congress government in the state.
