However, during scrutiny of her documents, the KPSC allegedly found that her father, Shivashankarappa S Sahukar, had been serving as a member of the Commission since September 3, 2019, drawing a basic monthly salary of about Rs 2.05 lakh. He was subsequently appointed KPSC chairman on April 5, 2021, with a basic monthly salary of around Rs 2.25 lakh, in addition to other admissible allowances.

According to the complaint, the Commission concluded that the family’s actual annual income was substantially higher than the amount declared in the certificate and exceeded the income ceiling prescribed for availing reservation benefits under the 3B category.

“During verification of the documents submitted by the candidate, the income declared in the Income and Asset Certificate did not correspond with the service records and salary particulars of her father, who was serving as a Member and later Chairman of the Karnataka Public Service Commission. The declared income was prima facie inconsistent with the applicable eligibility criteria for the claimed reservation category,” the complaint stated.

Based on the complaint, a case of forgery under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at the Vidhana Soudha police station.

A police officer said the investigation is at a preliminary stage. “We are verifying the authenticity of the documents submitted during the recruitment process and examining the circumstances under which the income certificate was obtained and used. Further action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation,” the officer said.