KEA named recruiting authority, empowered with KPSC-like powers

Published 3 August 2026 · india

Close on the heels of an alleged scam in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) that has derailed recruitment once again, the Karnataka government has

Close on the heels of an alleged scam in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) that has derailed recruitment once again, the Karnataka government has declared the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) as one of the recruiting agencies for civil services in the State. The State government has now authorised KEA not only to conduct examinations, which it has been doing for the past few years, but also to carry out document verification, prepare merit lists, and publish the final selection list of candidates, much like the KPSC. KEA brought in KEA, which conducts the Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission to professional courses, was brought in to conduct recruitment examinations mainly because of inordinate delays in holding examinations by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), apart from allegations of scams.

At present, KEA conducts recruitment examinations at the request of various departments and hands over the merit list to the concerned department. These departments prepare merit lists in a 1:5 ratio, conduct document verification of candidates, and publish the final selection lists. During the financial year 2024-25 alone, KEA conducted examinations for 11 departments to fill 6,116 posts, with over 18 lakh candidates appearing for the examinations. Duplication of work However, under the Karnataka Civil Services (Direct Recruitment) (General) Rules, 2021, KEA has been issuing separate notifications for different posts in various departments that require the same educational qualifications and syllabus.

It has been conducting separate examinations and preparing separate merit lists for the respective departments. This has been viewed as a duplication of work. It has also created several issues, including the same candidates appearing at the top of the merit lists of multiple departments. As and when these candidates opted for a particular department, the others had to publish revised merit lists. Unlike this, the KPSC conducts a single examination for posts across different departments that require the same cadre, educational qualifications and syllabus, instead of holding separate examinations. At the State-level recruitment progress review meeting held on June 6, 2026, chaired by the Chief Secretary to the government, KEA was instructed to conduct a single examination for the selection of posts within the same cadre.

Following this, KEA wrote to the government seeking powers on par with the KPSC, which have now been granted.