Bengaluru: Questions Raised Over 24 Assistant Executive Engineer Appointments . A nearly three-year-old recruitment controversy involving the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) has resurfaced, with questions being raised over the selection and appointment of 24 Assistant Executive Engineers (AEE) in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department (RDPR).
The controversy centres on allegations that OMR answer sheets used in the recruitment examination were tampered with using carbon sheets. A KPSC inquiry committee reportedly found evidence of such tampering, while a subsequent forensic examination is also said to have confirmed the findings.
Despite the reported findings, no criminal case has so far been registered in connection with the AEE recruitment.
The matter has gained renewed attention amid a separate Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into alleged irregularities in the recruitment of 400 veterinary officers. The two cases involve different recruitment processes and should not be treated as the same investigation.
RDPR AEE Examination Held in July 2023
The KPSC examination for 24 AEE posts in the RDPR was conducted in July 2023. After the provisional selection list was published on September 22, 2023, an aspirant reportedly raised concerns about possible irregularities in the selection process.
KPSC initially constituted a three-member committee to examine the allegations. That panel was later dissolved and replaced with a five-member inquiry committee.
According to the reported findings, the committee detected alleged tampering of OMR answer sheets using carbon sheets. The matter was subsequently referred for forensic examination, which reportedly found evidence consistent with the allegations.
The findings have raised questions about the integrity of the examination and whether the alleged tampering could have affected the selection of candidates.
24 Candidates Appointed Before Inquiry Report
Another major issue concerns the timing of the appointments.
RDPR reportedly issued appointment orders to all 24 candidates included in the KPSC selection list before the commission’s inquiry committee submitted its final report.
The appointments were issued on a conditional basis, with their continuation subject to the outcome of proceedings relating to the recruitment irregularities. The department has maintained that the appointments were therefore not unconditional and could be affected by the eventual findings.
The KPSC inquiry committee submitted its report in February 2026. However, despite the reported findings concerning OMR tampering, no criminal investigation has been initiated in the AEE recruitment matter so far.
How This Case Differs From the CID Probe
The AEE recruitment controversy is separate from the cases currently being investigated by the Karnataka CID.
The CID is probing alleged irregularities involving the recruitment of 400 veterinary officers. The investigation has led to the arrest of IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, who had served as KPSC Controller of Examinations, along with an alleged middleman.
Another CID case concerns suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar and allegations relating to the recruitment of his two daughters.
The distinction is significant because Gangwar was reportedly not the KPSC Controller of Examinations when the RDPR AEE examination at the centre of the latest controversy was conducted.
Political Dispute Over the Recruitment
The old AEE recruitment issue has now entered the wider political dispute surrounding alleged KPSC irregularities.
Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has alleged that 24 candidates were appointed despite concerns over the recruitment process and has questioned the role of then-RDPR minister Priyank Kharge.
Kharge has denied involvement in any alleged irregularities and has pointed to the conditional nature of the appointment orders. He has also questioned why the issue was being raised now, particularly when the appointments were made before the KPSC inquiry committee submitted its final report in February 2026.
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Calls for Independent Investigation
The resurfaced controversy has prompted demands for an independent investigation into the AEE recruitment process.
Questions remain over how the alleged OMR tampering occurred, who may have been responsible, whether the alleged irregularities affected the final selection and why the 24 candidates were allowed to take up government appointments while the issue remained under examination.
For now, the AEE case remains distinct from the CID’s veterinary officers’ recruitment investigation. With no reported FIR or arrest in the AEE matter, the KPSC inquiry report, the alleged forensic confirmation of OMR tampering and the continued status of the 24 candidates under conditional appointments remain at the centre of the controversy.
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About the author — Ananya Aradhya writes on cybercrime, fraud, scams, cybersecurity, digital safety, and emerging threats. Her work also covers major criminal cases, financial frauds, consumer scams, and stories that highlight risks affecting people in the real and digital world.
