Karnataka govt appoints judicial commission to probe PSI recruitment scam

The Karnataka government has constituted a one-man judicial commission to inquire into the police sub-inspector (PSI) recruitment scam.

Retired Karnataka High Court judge B Veerappa will conduct the probe, and the government notification constituting the probe has set a deadline of three months for the inquiry.

The Congress had strongly taken on the then BJP government over alleged irregularities and corruption in the recruitment of 545 PSIs. It was one among its major ammunitions against the saffron party during the campaign for the Assembly polls.

Following allegations that the exam results were manipulated, the then government had ordered a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which arrested several officials from the Police Recruitment Cell, including its then chief Additional Director-General of Police Amrit Paul and also a large number of candidates who appeared for the exam.

The government had also annulled the results of the exam and decided to hold a re-exam, which is yet to happen.

The order constituting the judicial inquiry lists four questions as its terms of reference: Were rules violated during the process of recruiting 545 PSIs? What were the violations or illegalities and at what level were they committed? Who are the persons that gained undue benefit from the illegalities? What measures can the government take to hold the PSI recruitment exam as per rules and in a transparent manner?

The order has also asked the CID and the police recruitment wing to cooperate with the commission by providing necessary documents and information.

Further, the DG & IGP has been asked make sure the commission gets an office in Bengaluru with the required facilities and staff.