The Enforcement Directorate has arrested suspended Karnataka Public Service Commission chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar and commission member B V Geetha under money-laundering law. Sahukar was taken into custody late on Tuesday night and produced before a special court for remand on 7 October, while Geetha’s arrest was also announced the same day. The case grew out of alleged irregularities in the recruitment of veterinary officers, an examination held in January 2026, where complaints spoke of bribes paid through middlemen to secure selection.
Investigators now suspect the wrongdoing was far wider, with irregularities being examined across as many as 13 recruitment examinations, including gazetted posts and motor vehicle-related positions. The agency had searched around two dozen premises in Karnataka and other states in August, including the commission’s Bengaluru office and Sahukar’s residence, and had also targeted the homes of some senior officers. Sahukar had already been suspended from his post before the arrests.
The scandal has become a major political issue in the state, with the opposition attacking the Congress government over how a constitutional recruitment body could be compromised. Aspirants who spent months preparing for state government jobs are demanding that the tainted selections be cancelled and fresh examinations held. The ED is expected to seek custody of both accused to trace the proceeds of crime and the people who allegedly paid for jobs.