Annulment of PSI exams: Candidates approach Tribunal

The investigation into the alleged corruption in the examination held to select 545 police sub-inspectors (PSI) in Karnataka witnessed a twist with 28 candidates approaching the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KAT) against the en masse cancellation of exams and fresh exams ordered by the Additional Director General of Police Recruitment.

Over 54,000 candidates took the written exams across 93 centres on October 3, 2021. After allegations that the answer sheets of some candidates who wrote the exams held at the Gynanajyothi English Medium School at Kalaburagi were tampered with, a preliminary inquiry was conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and a case was registered.

Subsequently, another case was registered in Bengaluru. Police have so far arrested 30 people in connection with the scam. On April 29, the State government issued an order to annul the exams and conduct fresh examinations.

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The 28 candidates, who had written the earlier exam, have now approached the KAT with a petition against the order. The petition says the government has shown undue haste in annulling the examinations and the honest candidates should not suffer just because the State was finding it difficult to segregate the cases of the tainted candidates from the others.

It further said there was suspicion of tampering with answer sheets of a few successful candidates from particular examination centres and there were sufficient ways and methods to identify them.

The petition sought direction from the State to segregate the tainted candidates and those against whom there are no allegations. “In the final stages of the selection process and at a time when it is a prelude to the publishing of the final select list, because there are allegations against some tainted candidates, it will not be appropriate for the government to take an extreme decision to cancel the written examination and to hold a fresh examination for the same recruitment,” the candidates say.

They have sought the recruitment process to be allowed to be completed except for publishing the final select list which could be made subject to the outcome of the case.