Exams are on hold for one year since the PSI recruitment scam for 545 posts in Karnataka came to light.
The candidates for the written examination for 402 posts of the Police Sub Inspector (PSI) are getting impatient due to lack of further notifications. It is on hold ever since the recruitment scam for 545 posts in 2021 came to light and re-examination of the candidates was announced by the Karnataka government.
Darshan, a PSI aspirant who appeared for the recruitment exam for the 402 posts of Police Sub Inspector, said that the physical test for the recruitment process was conducted in October 2021. “It has been a year since the physical exams were held and we are still waiting for notifications for the written exam. There is no clarity given by the government as the Director General of Police (DGP) says something and the Home Minister says another thing,” he said.
Another PSI candidate, Rohit, who appeared for recruitment conducted for 545 posts said, “I was working in Bank of India and I resigned my job as soon as the results for Police Sub Inspector in January 2022 were declared.” Rohit is currently teaching in an institute that helps candidates prepare for competitive exams.
Mallikarjun Balandand, Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru Rural, said that the inquiry is ongoing for the recruitment scam, and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is still carrying out arrests of the involved parties. “Till date more than 50 people have been arrested and there is more to come,” he said.
An official from the CID Recruitment and Training Department said, “The High Court has put a stay order on all further examinations as the probe is ongoing. I cannot tell how long it will take as this will be the call of the government.” He also said that on October 10, the dates for the examinations were postponed again, and that there is no certainty over this.
Vacancy for filling 402 posts of Police Sub Inspector is withheld due to the probe on 545 post recruitment.
The High Court, under section 420 has given a stay order on the regular process of examinations. Manohar N, Advocate in High Court of Karnataka, said, “Candidates who have exceeded the age limit will be benefitted. They will definitely be getting fair chance to compete in the PSI examination again.”
Dr. SY Surendra Kumar, Professor of Political Science at Bangalore University said, “It is very unfortunate that such incidents are happening again as similar incident had happened back in 2011,, where the papers were leaked and money was exchanged during the interview process.” This entire process will take more than a year or two as even after receiving the examination notifications, the candidates will go to court and file claims which will be time consuming, he said.
“Government has to win over the confidence of the candidate by cleaning up the system. Moreover, transparency, accountability and confidentiality are needed,” said Surendra Kumar.
