Bengaluru, 21 September

The Karnataka High Court on Monday ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged irregularities by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) in the recruitment of veterinary doctors.

Justice M Nagaprasanna directed the SIT, headed by Director General of Police (Prisons) Alok Kumar, to take over evidence from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and jurisdictional police.

The team will include Forensic Science Laboratory director Divya Gopinath, DCPs Anup Shetty and Shama Mishra, and Superintendent of Police Kushal Chouksay. The court directed all departments, investigation agencies and public authorities to cooperate.

The SIT must submit its investigation report within 100 days of commencing the probe, with progress reports every 30 days. Its investigation should not be restricted to the persons, allegations or offences currently identified and must follow evidence wherever it leads, the court said.

The team may seek forensic, cyber, financial and technical assistance. The court directed the state government to notify the SIT as a police station for investigation and warned authorities against interfering with its work.

The KPSC came under scrutiny after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot suspended chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar over allegations of facilitating the illegal selection of his two daughters as Industrial Extension Officers. Sahukar is missing, while KPSC registrar Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and middleman Basavaraj Kannale have been arrested.