Karnataka Suspends IAS Officer Arrested in Veterinarian Recruitment Scam
Karnataka suspends IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar after his arrest by the CID in connection with alleged fraud in the recruitment of veterinarians.
The Karnataka government has suspended IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, who was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with an alleged recruitment scam. The case pertains to the selection of veterinarians for 400 vacancies in the state's Animal Husbandry and Fisheries department.
Gangwar, a 2016-batch Karnataka-cadre officer originally from Uttar Pradesh, was serving as the Controller of Examinations at the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) when the alleged irregularities occurred. He is currently posted as a director in the state's Commerce and Industries ministry.
The CID's Director General of Police reported that Gangwar was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody on August 30. He was subsequently taken into police custody for further investigation. Citing the gravity of the allegations concerning the integrity and transparency of the KPSC recruitment process, and noting that the officer had been in custody for over 48 hours, the state government ordered his suspension.
The suspension order, issued under the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, places Gangwar under suspension with immediate effect pending the CID's investigation. During this period, he will receive subsistence allowance and is barred from leaving his headquarters without written permission from the government.
Gangwar came under scrutiny following raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at his residences in Uttar Pradesh and Bengaluru. He was not present at either location during the raids. He later appeared before the CID for questioning and was subsequently arrested.
The entrance examination in question was held on January 8, with final selection lists published on July 17. Three FIRs have been registered in the case. The CID has sent the OMR sheets of 329 candidates to the state Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to investigate allegations of foul play made by a failed candidate against 29 successful candidates.