Jailed IAS officer suspended in Karnataka’s veterinarian recruitment scam

The Karnataka government on Thursday suspended IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar who was arrested by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with alleged fraud in the selection of veterinarians for 400 vacancies in the state’s Animal Husbandry and Fisheries department.

Gangwar, hailing from Uttar Pradesh and a Karnataka-cadre IAS officer of 2016 batch, was posted as a director for the Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the state Commerce and Industries ministry. He was serving as Controller of Examinations at Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) when the alleged fraud took place.

In a report to the government, the CID’s Director General of Police stated that the officer was produced before the jurisdictional magistrate and remanded to judicial custody on August 30, and was subsequently taken into police custody for further investigation.

The state government, citing the nature and gravity of the allegations concerning the integrity, transparency and fairness of the recruitment process conducted by the KPSC, and noting that the officer had been in custody for over 48 hours, ordered his suspension.

The order read: "In exercise of the powers conferred under Rule 3(2) read with 3(3) of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, Sri Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, IAS (KN: 2016), is placed under suspension with immediate effect and until further orders, pending further investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department.

During the period of suspension, the officer shall be paid subsistence allowance in accordance with Rule 4 of the All India Service (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1969 and shall not leave the headquarters under any circumstances without written permission of the state government." Gangwar had been at the center of the controversy following ED’s raids at his residence in Uttar Pradesh and Bengaluru, linking him to the recruitment scam.

He was not present at both houses during the raid. He later appeared before the CID for questioning and was subsequently arrested. The entrance exam was held on January 8 this year and the final selection lists were published on July 17.

Three FIRs have been registered in the case. The CID has sent the OMR sheets of 329 candidates who took the exam, to the state Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to authenticate allegations of foul play made by a failed candidate against 29 successful candidates.