Pramesh S Jain
After spending 10 days in CID custody, IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and his alleged associate Basavaraj Kannale were produced before the court on Wednesday and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Veterinary Officers’ recruitment examination.
The CID produced the duo before the 1st ACJM Court after completing their custodial interrogation.
The investigating agency told the court that it did not require their custody at present, but reserved the option of seeking their custody again if necessary during the investigation.
After hearing the CID’s submissions, the court remanded Gangwar and Kannale to judicial custody for 14 days.
Gangwar,an IAS officer, had served as Controller of Examinations at the KPSC from February 2024 to March 2026 before being transferred as Director of Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in June.
He was questioned by the CID before being arrested in connection with the case.
Kannale,who was arrested by a CID team in Delhi, is a member of the Tumkur University Syndicate and has been linked to the BJP in Bidar.
His photographs with several BJP leaders,including Karnataka BJP president B.Y.Vijayendra and BJP MLA C.N.Ashwath Narayan,have surfaced on social media.
The CID suspects that Kannale may have played a key role in the alleged irregularities and is probing his links with Gangwar and his alleged involvement in the recruitment process.
The investigation has also focused on alleged manipulation of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets, tampering with or destruction of CCTV footage and possible manipulation of other crucial evidence.
Meanwhile,the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is separately probing the alleged recruitment irregularities.
The agency has issued a lookout notice against KPSC member Shanta Hosamani at airports after she allegedly became untraceable following the ED searches on August 18 and failed to respond to its notices.
Home Minister,Priyank Kharge has questioned the ED’s intervention in the case and alleged that the agency’s swift action had raised doubts.
He also referred to the photographs of Kannale with BJP leaders while questioning their alleged association.
The KPSC,which conducts recruitment examinations for various government posts in Karnataka,is under scrutiny over alleged irregularities in the final selection process for Veterinary Officers.
