Karnataka PSI scam: Two prime accused granted bail

Applicants Jagrut S and Rachana Hanumantha, who were toppers in the tainted police sub-inspector recruitment exams held in October last year, have been granted bail months after their arrest.

Two applicants who sat for the contentious police sub-inspector recruitment exam in Karnataka last year have been released on bail by a special court in Bengaluru on Friday.

Jagrut and Rachana were among 22 candidates named in an FIR accused of tampering with the exam's OMR sheets. (Image for representational purpose)

The applicants, Jagrut S and Rachana Hanumantha, were named as primary accused in the scam, which has triggered a political slugfest in the southern state in the last few months. The duo were among the toppers in the exam, and were accused in an FIR for cheating after their optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets were found to be tampered with.

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News agency PTI reported that their advocate filed bail applications in October and cited that they need not be put through ‘continued incarceration’ as the charge sheet has already been filed in the case. While Jagrut, who was ranked fourth in the exam, has been in custody since July, Rachana, who secured 153 marks out of 200 to top the women's category, has been in custody since August 28.

After learning that the results of last October's PSI recruitment exams will be discarded and a fresh exam will be conducted, several candidates protested at Bengaluru's Freedom Park in May, led by Jagrut, and demanded posting orders.

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Jagrut and Rachana were among 22 candidates named in an FIR filed by CID at the High Grounds police station. Several high-profile officers, including politicians and IPS officers, have been arrested in relation to the the PSI scam in Karnataka.

(With PTI inputs)