BENGALURU: Even as the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) is reeling under controversy following the suspension of its chairman over allegations of irregularities, another major recruitment scam has surfaced, this time involving the selection of Veterinary Officers. More than 50 candidates have approached the Vidhana Soudha Police Station alleging large-scale corruption in the recruitment process, claiming that a single Veterinary Officer post was allegedly sold for as much as Rs 80 lakh through intermediaries.
The fresh allegations have triggered outrage among aspirants and student organisations, which have demanded that the entire recruitment process be scrapped and investigated by an independent agency.
JUST 2 HOURS AGO!
Fresh recruitment SCAM in Congress-ruled Karnataka!
In Karnataka, candidates have demanded cancellation of the KPSC Veterinary Officer recruitment process, claiming jobs were sold through middlemen for 80 Lakh!
No Chief Minister has accepted responsibility.… pic.twitter.com/lS9ZRCG7X4
— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) July 23, 2026
The recruitment examination for 400 Veterinary Officer posts was conducted on January 8, while the results were announced on July 17. Soon after the results were published, unsuccessful candidates began raising questions over the selection process, alleging widespread irregularities and manipulation in the preparation of the final merit list.
According to the complainants, the recruitment process was marred by favouritism, manipulation of merit rankings and illegal financial transactions. They have alleged that nearly 60 per cent of the appointments were influenced by corruption and that deserving candidates were denied selection despite securing competitive scores.
The candidates further alleged that influential intermediaries approached aspirants during the recruitment process, offering to secure appointments in exchange for huge sums of money. They claimed that the going rate for a Veterinary Officer post was around Rs 80 lakh and that the transactions were allegedly facilitated through an organised network.
Over 50 aggrieved candidates submitted a complaint at the Vidhana Soudha Police Station seeking registration of a criminal case and a detailed investigation into the allegations. They have urged the government to suspend the recruitment process until the probe is completed.
The controversy has also drawn attention because the name of recently suspended KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar has been mentioned in the allegations made by some candidates and student organisations. However, no official agency has so far confirmed his involvement in the alleged irregularities, and the allegations remain under investigation.
Speaking on behalf of a student organisation, its president Kanth Kumar alleged that several KPSC members, along with intermediaries, were involved in the recruitment scam. He demanded stringent action against all those responsible and called for the cancellation of the entire selection process.
“Candidates were allegedly contacted and asked to pay money for Group A Veterinary Officer posts. If such serious allegations are true, merely taking departmental action will not be enough. Those responsible should face the strictest punishment under the law,” he said.
Kanth Kumar also questioned the unusually high marks secured by some selected candidates. “Even candidates who clear the UPSC examination struggle to secure exceptionally high scores. It is difficult for genuinely talented candidates to cross the 300-mark barrier. Then how did certain candidates, including relatives of influential persons, secure such extraordinary marks?” he asked.
The candidates have demanded that the answer sheets, evaluation records and merit list be subjected to an independent forensic audit to determine whether any manipulation took place during the recruitment process.
The latest allegations come at a time when the KPSC is already under intense scrutiny following allegations of favouritism and procedural irregularities in other recruitment processes. The suspension of the KPSC chairman had raised serious concerns over the transparency and credibility of the constitutional recruitment body.
Student organisations and job aspirants have urged the Karnataka government to constitute an independent probe, preferably by a specialised investigating agency, to restore public confidence in the recruitment process. They have also sought judicial monitoring of the investigation to ensure fairness and accountability.
