BENGALURU: Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar B. Khandre has urged Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to consider scrapping the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) and replacing it with a recruitment mechanism modelled on the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), citing repeated allegations of corruption, question paper leaks and irregularities in government recruitment.
In a representation submitted to the Chief Minister, Khandre said the KPSC had faced serious allegations about its functioning for several years and argued that the ongoing controversies had eroded public confidence in the institution.
Khandre said allegations of corruption, question paper leaks and large-scale irregularities in recruitment processes had been reported against the commission since 1998. According to him, the latest controversy surrounding the recruitment of veterinary officers has once again raised questions over the transparency and credibility of the state’s recruitment system.
The minister said the KPSC was established as an autonomous constitutional institution responsible for conducting recruitment to various government departments fairly and transparently. However, he alleged that the commission had failed to meet the expectations placed on it.
“The KPSC has been facing serious allegations of corruption, question paper leaks and major irregularities in recruitment since 1998. With the investigation into the recent veterinary officer recruitment scam gaining momentum, the institution has completely lost its transparency,” Khandre said in his representation.
He maintained that repeated controversies involving recruitment examinations had created uncertainty among thousands of candidates who spend years preparing for government jobs. Any compromise in the examination or selection process, he said, not only affects individual candidates but also damages confidence in the government recruitment system.
The minister’s demand comes as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probes alleged irregularities in the KPSC veterinary officer recruitment process. Investigators have been examining alleged manipulation of the recruitment process, as well as financial transactions linked to people suspected of involvement in the case.
The investigation has already widened beyond the examination process, with investigators examining alleged financial links and questioning several persons in connection with the recruitment controversy. The probe has also brought the commission’s functioning under renewed scrutiny.
Khandre argued that investigating only after irregularities come to light may not be enough to restore confidence in the system. Instead, he suggested that the government should examine a fundamental restructuring of the recruitment mechanism.
The minister has urged the Chief Minister to explore a system based on the UPSC model, which he believes could provide greater institutional credibility and strengthen transparency in recruitment. Such a mechanism, according to the proposal, could reduce the scope for manipulation and ensure selection processes are conducted under stronger safeguards.
The demand for scrapping the KPSC is significant because the commission plays a major role in recruiting personnel for various state government departments. Thousands of aspirants appear for its examinations every year, making the integrity of the process a matter of considerable public importance.
Khandre also pointed to the commission’s long history of controversies as a reason to consider a structural change rather than relying only on corrective measures in individual cases.
