Karnataka high court denies bail to civil contractor in recruitment exam fraud cases

Bengaluru: Terming him a habitual offender, the Kalaburagi bench of Karnataka high court has denied bail to RD Patil, also known as Rudragouda, the alleged mastermind behind several recruitment examination fraud cases.Patil was arrested in Nov 2023 by a special team of criminal investigation department (CID) led by Raghavendra K Hegde, superintendent of police with the financial intelligence unit. The arrest was made under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA). He is currently in judicial custody at Mysuru Central Prison.The CID arrested Patil in connection with alleged malpractices in the first division assistant (FDA) and second division assistant (SDA) recruitment examinations conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority.According to the chargesheet, Patil, a Class I civil contractor from Kalaburagi, supplied electronic devices such as Bluetooth devices and walkie-talkies to candidates to help them cheat in the examinations. Investigators also accused him of organising similar scams in multiple recruitment tests.During the hearing, Patil's counsel argued that all other accused in the case had been granted bail and that the investigation was complete. The counsel submitted that Patil had already spent more than two years in custody and that further incarceration was unnecessary.However, special public prosecutor M Sudharshan informed the court that Patil faces more than 25 criminal cases linked to recruitment examination frauds. These include the 2021 police sub-inspector recruitment scam, which led to the arrest of an IPS officer.The prosecution also told the court that Patil had allegedly been involved in a scuffle with prison officials in Kalaburagi when he was granted interim bail for three weeks last year, leading to another case being registered against him.Rejecting the bail plea, Justice Rajesh Rai K observed that the prosecution had placed prima facie material showing Patil's role in a criminal conspiracy to manipulate recruitment examinations. The court noted that investigators had seized mobile phones and sim cards allegedly purchased by Patil and produced call detail records linking him to the fraud.The judge observed that multiple cases had been registered against Patil for exam malpractice, including eight cases related to the FDA and SDA examinations and several cases linked to the 2021 PSI recruitment scam.