Former KPSC chief and member detained in alleged job-placement bribery ring
The Enforcement Directorate has taken into custody former Karnataka Public Service Commission chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and member BV Geetha as part of a probe into networks that allegedly sold government job placements for cash.
The Enforcement Directorate detained former Karnataka Public Service Commission chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and commission member BV Geetha on Tuesday while investigating alleged recruitment scams. According to an officer familiar with the case, two distinct networks allegedly colluded to extract candidate information from merit lists, select those with high marks, and then offer them government appointments for payment.
One ring is reported to have involved IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar and middleman Basavaraj Kannale, while the second allegedly included Sahukar and other KPSC members. The ED conducted a second search of Sahukar’s home in Bengaluru’s Dollars Colony and also raided Geetha’s residence before taking them into custody. Intermediaries are said to have demanded advance payments of between ₹5 lakh and ₹10 lakh from candidates.
The probe covers recruitments across roughly 13 departments over the past two to three years, including veterinary, KAS, transport, health, rural development and fisheries posts. Investigators are examining financial records, communications and recruitment documents to determine the extent of the alleged corruption.
Why it matters
The arrests highlight potential corruption in Karnataka's public-service hiring, raising concerns about fairness and integrity in government recruitment.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage emphasizes the alleged bribery networks and how candidate information was exploited, while centrist coverage focuses on the Enforcement Directorate's arrests and procedural details of the case.
LEFT
Frames the story as exposing a recruitment-bribery ring that colluded to sell government appointments
CENTER
Frames the story as reporting the ED’s arrests and related investigative actions
The left emphasises
- two distinct networks allegedly colluded to extract candidate information and sell appointments
- the involvement of former KPSC chief Shivashankarappa Sahukar and member BV Geetha
- the role of intermediaries demanding advance payment
In this story
