KPSC Halts Veterinary Officer Selection List and Sets Up Inquiry Panel

The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) announced on Sunday that it is putting the selection list for veterinary officers on hold. The move comes just a day after Vidhana Soudha police lodged a First Information Report (FIR) accusing senior officials, including the now‑suspended KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar, of manipulating the exam and its evaluation.

According to the FIR, the alleged misconduct involves not only the recruitment officers but also 29 candidates who made it onto the list. Sahukar is already under a separate FIR that alleges he pushed his two daughters into government posts while he was chairman – a charge that prompted the Governor to suspend him.

In response, the commission convened an emergency meeting on Sunday. A three‑member sub‑committee, led by senior KPSC member Shakuntala Dundigoudar, was formed to examine every step of the recruitment process. The panel has been given a week to submit its findings, and until then the list will remain in limbo.

Politically, the scandal could not have come at a worse time for the ruling BJP. Youth protests over a recent NEET paper leak have already placed the party on the back foot, and the opposition is poised to seize on the KPSC controversy during the upcoming Monsoon Session of the State legislature.

B.Y. Vijayendra, the state BJP president, told reporters that several candidates who felt cheated had approached him. He accused the police of delaying the FIR, saying they waited for a government nod, and called for a “thorough, transparent investigation.”

For now, the fate of the veterinary officer appointments hangs in the balance, while KPSC officials scramble to restore credibility to a process that many hope will soon be cleared of any doubt.