PSI recruitment scam: Siddaramaiah urges Bommai to sack Karnataka home minister

Following the arrest of IPS officer Amrit Paul for his alleged role in the police sub-inspectors (PSI) recruitment scam, the Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah on Tuesday demanded the resignation of state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra.

Paul was arrested by Crime Investigation Department (CID) for his alleged role in the PSI recruitment scam case on Monday.

Siddaramaiah further alleged that Jnanendra is responsible for this scam and urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to sack him from the cabinet.

"In the PSI recruitment scam, the officials should not be blamed. Home Minister Araga Jnanendra is responsible for this scam as well as officials. I urge Chief Minister to sack Home Minister from the cabinet," said Siddaramaiah.

"Skeletons are falling out one by one from the shelves. The arrest of ADGP Amrit Paul in the PSI recruitment scam is proof of this. What will now CM and the Home Minister will do who said that there was no scandal?" he added.

Karnataka Government on Monday also suspended Paul following his arrest.

IAS officer J Manjunath, former DC of Bengaluru Urban was also suspended by the Karnataka government after he was arrested by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in a bribery case.

Manjunath was arrested by the ACB, four days after he was transferred from the post of Bengaluru urban district deputy commissioner (DC). Manjunath is facing allegations of collecting bribes through his staff to settle a land dispute.

Earlier on Monday, Bommai took a jibe at the Congress party and said that the grand old party would have covered up the arrests of ADGP Amrit Paul and IAS officer J Manjunath in the PSI recruitment scam case and bribery case respectively.

He had lauded his government for taking prompt action in the two cases.

While talking to , Bommai had said, "Our government unearthed the whole case. CID was given a free hand to investigate the case and spare none. ADGP who was heading the recruitment arrested after proof was found against him."

The PSI scam case is related to the irregularities in the appointment of police sub-inspectors in the state.

MLA and former Minister Priyank Kharge had earlier alleged a huge scam in the PSI recruitment of more than 545 candidates and pointed at the involvement of the government and officials in the matter.

Notably, on May 12, Karnataka Minister for Higher Education CN Ashwath Narayan announced that the state government was investigating the PSI scam and had assured that the people involved with it would be exposed.

On April 29, the Karnataka government decided to cancel the results of the police sub-inspector (PSI) recruitment exam following allegations of corruption.

The government had stated that a fresh exam will be re-conducted and the dates for which will be announced soon.

Meanwhile, Jnanendra had informed that the CID had arrested the main accused of the PSI scam, BJP leader Divya Hagaragi and four others in the case. Divya, who was absconding in the case, was arrested from Pune.

( With inputs from ANI )

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