Karnataka gives nod to prosecute ADGP in police recruitment case

Since the accused is a government servant, the government’s permission was necessary to proceed with the prosecution.

The Karnataka government on Friday issued a circular permitting prosecution of suspended additional general of police (ADGP) Amrit Paul in the police sub-inspector recruitment scam, officials familiar with the development said on Saturday.

Paul is the first officer of ADGP rank — the second-highest rank in the police hierarchy — to be arrested in the state in connection with the corruption case (HT Archives)

Since the accused is a government servant, the government’s permission was necessary to proceed with the prosecution.

“In the background of the facts, circumstances and documents pertaining to the case, the investigation agency has made out a prima facie case against Amrit Paul for his alleged involvement in tampering with OMR sheets and creating false documents by misusing his official position, even though knowing it was illegal and tantamount to cheating. Hence, with the approval of the competent authority, the Government of Karnataka issues the following order to accord permission to prosecute Amrit Paul, then ADGP-recruitment,” read the circular issued by the state government.

Paul is the first officer of ADGP rank — the second-highest rank in the police hierarchy — to be arrested in the state in connection with the corruption case. Paul who was heading the Police Recruitment Cell, Karnataka, was arrested on July 4 after his name cropped up in the ongoing investigation into the PSI scam, where money was taken from candidates to enable them to cheat during their examinations or for tampering their answers sheets after the exam.

Paul has been arrested under Sections 409, 406, 420, 468, 469, 461, 471 and 120 B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for criminal breach of trust by a public servant, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, dishonestly breaking open receptacle containing property, using as a genuine forged document or electronic record and criminal conspiracy. He has been placed under suspension under the All-India Services (Discipline & Appeals) Rule, 1969.

The courts have thrice rejected bail to Paul. CID had in September filed a separate 1,406-page charge sheet against him.

According to the charge sheet submitted before the First ACMM court in Bengaluru, Paul is the 35th accused in the scam. CID had submitted 78 records, 38 witnesses against Paul in the charge sheet. Investigations have revealed that Paul had allegedly received a cut of ₹1.35 crore from candidates to PSI posts.

A CID officer said the involvement of three groups in facilitating the malpractice has emerged so far. The first gang, which included BJP leader Divya Hagargi, was involved in answer sheet tampering using invigilators. The second gang run by Rudragouda Patil operated using Bluetooth devices to give answers to candidates during the examination, while the third gang was of police officers in the recruitment cell, who tampered with the answer sheets kept inside the strong room of the recruitment wing’s office after taking money from candidates.

The probe into the involvement of the recruitment wing officials has revealed that Paul was part of the malpractice. “First of all, on the day the answer sheets arrived at the recruitment wing office, ADGP Paul had given the keys of the strongroom, where the OMR sheets were kept under tight security, to deputy superintendent of police Shantha Kumar,” said the officer.

Kumar then allegedly roped in first division assistant Harsha and reserve sub-inspectors Sridhar and Srinivas to help him switch off the CCTV and fill up the blank OMR sheets. “The strongroom can be accessed only using a biometric entry. The investigators have found multiple entries to the strongroom that night, in some cases as early as 4 am. The officers who entered the room have been arrested. Considering they entered the room at odd hours and the fact that the ADGP handed over the keys show that these officers were involved in the conspiracy,” said the officer.