Karnataka: CID arrests IAS officer over irregularities in KPSC exam

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Karnataka has arrested Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar for alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) examination for 400 veterinary officer posts. Gangwar, a 2016 batch IAS officer serving as Director of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, was the KPSC examination controller from February 2024 to March 2026. He was taken into custody late Saturday after extensive questioning, following inconsistencies in his statements and perceived uncooperative behavior during interrogation.

Gangwar was questioned for approximately nine hours in Bengaluru on Friday and the interrogation continued into Saturday before his formal arrest on Sunday. Authorities are investigating his role in the examination’s conduct, including the handling of question papers, evaluation processes, and alleged manipulation of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) answer sheets.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Gangwar is accused of receiving ₹1.1 crore from two candidates in exchange for tampering with their OMR sheets. He has been charged under Section 318 (3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 10 of the Karnataka Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Corruption & Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act. The case was transferred to the CID on July 28 after complaints were filed at the Vidhana Soudha police station.

The complaint was filed by veterinarian Manjunath, who alleged that relatives of suspended former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukara, along with KPSC members and staff, secured unusually high marks despite average academic records. Manjunath also raised concerns about discrepancies in candidates’ performance, noting that some who performed well in national-level exams scored poorly in the state recruitment test. Candidates reportedly stayed in hotels outside Karnataka, where intermediaries allegedly provided them with exam questions.

Manjunath further alleged inconsistencies in the authenticity of OMR answer sheets, claiming that some candidates who left multiple questions blank still achieved high scores. He also alleged that intermediaries offered OMR sheet manipulation services for amounts up to ₹80 lakh.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is separately investigating the alleged irregularities. On August 23, the agency conducted a search at Gangwar’s residence in Jayamahal Extension, Bengaluru. Authorities reportedly used a duplicate key to enter the home while Gangwar was in Uttar Pradesh. Earlier this month, Gangwar faced scrutiny after he was unreachable for two days starting August 20. He later explained his absence as a family emergency, though state home minister Priyank Kharge asserted that no IAS officer had gone missing.

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