Is K'taka Congress MLA K.Y. Nanjegowda the Kingpin in the Recruitment Scam?

Bengaluru, July 17 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate's (ED) inquiry into a recruitment scandal has identified Congress MLA K.Y. Nanjegowda, representing the Malur assembly constituency, as the ringleader. The ED has also seized both movable and immovable assets of MLA Nanjegowda and other implicated individuals valued at Rs 1.32 crore in connection with the investigation.

In an official announcement on Thursday, the ED stated: "The Bengaluru Zonal Office has issued a Provisional Attachment Order, which includes the confiscation of properties owned by Malur Congress MLA K.Y. Nanjegowda and others, amounting to Rs 1.32 crore as part of a money laundering case linked to the Kolar-Chikkaballapura District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union Ltd (KOMUL) recruitment scam of 2023."

The inquiry revealed that K.Y. Nanjegowda was the primary orchestrator of the scam, utilizing his position as Chairman of KOMUL to control the recruitment process, according to the ED.

The ED has initiated a money laundering case against MLA Nanjegowda and others based on the evidence gathered during investigations and searches related to a land grant scam in Malur Taluk under his leadership, as defined by the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED has also referred this matter to the Lokayukta Police and lodged a formal complaint with the Special Court for the Trial of MP/MLA Cases as part of their efforts to address the scandal.

Investigations indicated that the KOMUL recruitment process for 2023, which included a written exam and interviews, was compromised in exchange for financial gain and/or political endorsements.

The recruitment committee, led by K.Y. Nanjegowda, MLA and Chairman of KOMUL, along with K.N. Gopala Murthy, Managing Director of KOMUL, colluded with other directors to devise a plan that favored less qualified candidates while sidelining deserving ones, as detailed in the ED's statement.

Moreover, evidence obtained during the search, including altered OMR sheets (both original and modified) and WhatsApp messages from politicians endorsing certain candidates, which were forwarded by Nanjegowda and other directors to KOMUL staff, was also revealed by the ED.

Procedural irregularities in the recruitment process at KOMUL and Mangalore University showed attempts to obscure the inconsistencies, with admissions from directors and staff of KOMUL and the Registrar of Mangalore University, Nagendra Prasad, as well as some candidates who were granted special accommodations during the exam, uncovering a major scandal in the KOMUL recruitment of 2023, according to the ED.

Evidence collected indicated that Rs 1.56 crore was generated as proceeds from crimes by manipulating the recruitment process during both the written exam and interview stages, in exchange for monetary benefits promised to candidates for their selection in the KOMUL recruitment of 2023, stated the ED.

Statements and collected evidence suggest that he played a pivotal role in determining the number of “reserved” seats, organizing how bribes would be collected, and managing the manipulation of written exam OMR sheets and interview scores to guarantee that recommended or paying candidates were chosen, ultimately enriching himself illegally by Rs 80 lakh from the total proceeds of Rs 1.56 crore, the ED noted.