Rot in KPSC recruitment runs deep
A new scandal has hit the Karnataka State Public Service Commission (KPSC) — the State’s premier recruiting agency — even as the government has launched
A new scandal has hit the Karnataka State Public Service Commission (KPSC) — the State’s premier recruiting agency — even as the government has launched one of the largest recruitment drives to fill up 72,186 posts across departments. The commission has been in the news for the wrong reasons multiple times over the last two decades, and the latest one that has unfolded over the past week involves the commission’s Chairman Shivashankrappa S. Sahukar facing allegations of favouring his daughters in the recruitment to the Department of Industries and Commerce for which examination was conducted by the KPSC. In an unprecedented move, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has ordered suspension of Sahukar pending inquiry, who has since questioned it in the High Court of Karnataka. It is alleged that Sahukar neither formally declared a conflict of interest nor recused himself from the recruitment process to ensure transparency as is mandated. It is learnt that some members in the commission did not know of his daughters’ participation and selection in the recruitment process. One of his daughters, who is his dependent, is even accused of providing a false income certificate, declaring an annual of income of ₹40,000 to escape “creamy layer” provision in reservation for Other Backward Classes and secure selection. All this came out in the open during the verification of documents by the KPSC officials. Lost transparency and sanctity “Such incidents mar transparency in examination process and sanctity of recruitment to civil services. Rural candidates are always at a disadvantage. Those with connections seem to one to be at an advantage in the recruitment outcomes,” said an aspirant for Group A and B posts, currently employed in the Home Department in a Group C post. The Bengaluru-based aspirant, who has tried his luck in gazetted probationer’s examination thrice in the past, said, “I missed selection by a whisker each time.” Sahukar’s suspension comes at a time when the State government is under pressure from restive civil services aspirants, who staged a series of protests in Dharwad. The government, which had initially announced filling up of 56,432 posts, has now scaled it up to 72,186. Recruitments had slowed down since 2022 over confusion in quantum of reservation for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In 2024-25, the State government even froze fresh recruitment drives awaiting a report on internal reservation among the 101 Scheduled Castes in the State. The announcement of fresh recruitments has brought hope among lakhs of students, especially those aiming at Group C positions in the civil services. Besides KPSC, the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) too has started working on recruitment process currently. Interestingly, the Second Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission, which submitted its report in 2025, identified about 2.94 lakh vacancies out of 8.16 lakh sanctioned posts in the State’s civil services. A former member of the KPSC argued cleaning up the system is not a Herculean task if the politicians want. He argued that many things — from appointment of members to re-assigning the employees of the KPSC — is the need of the hour. “Background of the members need to be verified before appointments.
The BriefWire