Four Years After Chargesheet, DPAR Begins Departmental Inquiry Against Suspended ADGP Amrit Paul in PSI Scam

Bengaluru ; Four years after the chargesheet was filed in the high-profile Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) recruitment scam, the Karnataka government has initiated departmental proceedings against suspended Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Amrit Paul, one of the prime accused in the case. The Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) has formally issued a departmental chargesheet, paving the way for an internal inquiry against the senior IPS officer.

Amrit Paul, who headed the Police Recruitment Wing as ADGP during the 2021 recruitment process for 545 PSI posts, was arrested by the CID in 2022 after investigators alleged large-scale manipulation of OMR answer sheets and irregularities in the recruitment process. He is currently out on bail after spending time in judicial custody.

Although the CID Special Investigation Team (SIT) had filed a detailed 1,406-page chargesheet before the magistrate court in 2022, departmental action against the IPS officer had remained pending for nearly four years. The DPAR has now issued the departmental chargesheet on July 9, officially commencing disciplinary proceedings.

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also holds the Personnel and Administrative Reforms portfolio, has approved the initiation of the inquiry. The proceedings will be conducted under Rule 8(4) of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.

Based on the evidence gathered during the criminal investigation, the DPAR has served a notice on Amrit Paul, directing him to submit his explanation to the charges and appear before the inquiry authority for recording of his statement.

The PSI recruitment scam surfaced in 2022 after allegations of large-scale irregularities in the recruitment examination conducted in 2021 to fill 545 Police Sub-Inspector posts. More than 54,000 candidates had appeared for the examination, but the recruitment process came under scrutiny after discrepancies were detected in OMR answer sheets and allegations emerged that several candidates had secured appointments through illegal means.

The investigation was initially registered at the High Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru and police stations in north Karnataka before being transferred to the CID Special Investigation Team. The probe revealed alleged tampering of OMR sheets inside the recruitment cell's strong room, resulting in the arrest of several police officials, middlemen and candidates. Amrit Paul, who was then heading the recruitment cell, was named as one of the key accused.

Investigators alleged that unauthorized access was provided to the strong room where OMR sheets were stored and that answer sheets were manipulated to favour undeserving candidates in exchange for large sums of money. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is also investigating the money laundering angle, has previously attached assets allegedly linked to Amrit Paul and other accused in the case.

The departmental inquiry will independently examine whether Amrit Paul violated service conduct rules and disciplinary norms while discharging his official responsibilities, irrespective of the ongoing criminal proceedings before the court.

With the initiation of departmental proceedings, the state government has taken a significant step towards fixing administrative accountability in one of Karnataka's biggest recruitment scandals. The inquiry is expected to determine whether disciplinary action, including dismissal or other service penalties, is warranted based on the evidence placed before the inquiry authority.

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The Hans India