Happy to conduct PSI reexam, says Parameshwara

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday said that the State government was willing to conduct a reexamination of Police SubInspector (PSI) recruitment, which is currently mired in a scam.

“We, as the government, have conveyed our position to the court. We asked them to give us the permission to conduct the examination (again) and initiate the selection process. The judgement is yet to come from their end. We have been waiting. The day the order comes, we’ll start our process,” Parameshwara told mediapersons.

Scam dates back to 2021

A group of students who appeared for the Police SubInspector (PSI) recruitment exam alleged that there had been cheating that had cost them jobs.

The exam had happened in October 2021 and results appeared on January 20, quickly followed by objections. One candidate Mohan Kumar rightly pointed out that the candidates from one exam centre in Kalaburagi – Jnana Jyoti English medium school – had cleared the tests in unusually large numbers.

Others noted the disparity in candidates’ performance, who had done poorly in paper 1 had done well in paper 2. More exam centres came under the scanner.

More than 54,000 aspirants had appeared for the exams, but only 545 posts were up for grabs. Surprisingly, then State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra claimed there were no irregularities in the Assembly back in March.

Several students had cases registered against them. Fast forward to April, CID raided the house of the former BJP women’s wing in Kalaburagi district, Divya Hagaragi who runs the Jnana Jyoti school.

Talk of police complicity gained traction and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Amrit Paul was arrested on July 4 in the scam wherein Rs 100 crore had allegedly exchanged hands. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DYSP) Shantha Kumar is another accused in the case.

Block Congress president Mahanthesh D Patil, his brother Rudragouda Patil, Lingasur DySP Mallikarjun Sali, among others stand accused.

BJP Kanakagiri MLA Basavaraj Dadesugur has been accused of accepting money and not delivering a job to an aspirant but the witness had turned hostile in the case. Over 100 have been arrested in the case so far.

Kerala blast: We’re on alert, says Home Minister

Parameshwara said that he had put the state’s law enforcement agencies on alert after a blast at a Chrsitian sect Jehova’s Witnesses place of worship killed one and injured 30.

“We have sent everyone messages to be alert,” he said. “Right now, our IG (Inspector General) and Commissioner have been instructed to monitor the border near Mangaluru,” he added.