The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Basavaraj Kannale, identified as a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Bhalki in Bidar district, on Monday in Delhi. Investigators allege that Kannale acted as a key middleman in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment of veterinary officers, facilitating connections between candidates and influential persons. He was presented before a magistrate on August 31 and remanded for ten days of custody.
The CID had earlier taken into custody IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, the former Controller of Examination at KPSC, on Sunday. Gangwar was also produced before the magistrate on August 31 and received the same ten‑day custodial order. Both arrests follow a series of searches conducted by CID officials at two properties linked to Kannale in Bhalki taluk – his residence in Donagapur village and a house in Lecturer Colony, Bhalki town.
Kannale, who was appointed a member of the Tumkur University Syndicate in August 2025, is accused of leveraging his political contacts after returning to Bengaluru from a stint in Delhi for UPSC coaching. Authorities are probing allegations that he acted as a conduit for job aspirants, helping them secure government posts, and are examining financial transactions and assets worth crores of rupees tied to the recruitment irregularities.
The arrests have added a political dimension to the case. Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has targeted Home Minister Priyank Kharge over the alleged scam, while the Congress has criticized the BJP for appointing officials during its tenure. Kharge has expressed doubts about the speed of the Enforcement Directorate’s involvement, suggesting it may be aimed at protecting BJP leaders.
