Karnataka Examinations Authority
Permanent

KEA Karnataka Prisons Recruitment 2026

Sourced from Official Government PDF
Sep. 19, 2026
WarderInstructor Grade-II

Required Qualification

Diploma111
10th Pass90
ITI38
★
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Quick Recruitment Snapshot

Key recruitment parameters at a glance before you apply

Vacancies
576
Pay Scale
₹ 37,500 - ₹ 76,100
Age Limit
20 to 33 Years as on 15-10-2026
Job Location
Karnataka50Bengaluru26

Crucial Recruitment Dates

Official schedule & key deadlines

Published

Sep 18, 2026

2

Starts

Sep 19, 2026

3

Deadline

Oct 15, 2026

4

Exam Date

Nov 21, 2026

Application Window19 Sep – 15 Oct 2026
Exam / Test Date21 Nov 2026

Eligibility Criteria & Educational Qualifications

Who is eligible to apply for this recruitment? Check essential educational qualifications, branch/stream criteria, and age limits.

Educational Qualification

(1) Warder: Must have passed SSLC (10th Standard) or equivalent examination recognized by the Government of Karnataka. (2) Instructor Grade-II: Must have passed SSLC or equivalent, AND must hold a Diploma or Certificate in Mechanical / Electrical / Carpentry / Tailoring / Textile / Weaving / Carpet Making etc., granted by an institution recognized by the Government.

Age Limit & Relaxations

Minimum age: 20 years as on last date of application (15.10.2026). Maximum age (inclusive of 5-year one-time relaxation under GO No. DPAR 262 SRR 2025 dated 29.01.2026): General Merit (GM): 31 years; SC / ST / Category-1 / 2A / 2B / 3A / 3B: 33 years. Ex-Servicemen: Years of military service rendered plus 3 years.

Check Your Age Eligibility

Selection Procedure & Screening Stages

Verified Official Source

How will candidates be selected? Multi-stage screening roadmap from application to final merit list.

Offline-OMR Competitive Written Examination

OfflineMerit Scored

Compulsory Kannada Language Examination (for non-exempted candidates)

OfflineQualifying Only

Physical Standard Test (PST) & Endurance Test (ET) (1:5 Ratio)

OfflineQualifying Only

Medical Examination & Document Verification (1:2 Ratio)

OfflineQualifying Only

Selection proceeds in distinct phases: (1) Stage-1: Offline OMR-based Competitive Written Examination consisting of 100 multiple-choice questions for 100 marks (duration: 90 minutes). Negative marking of 0.25 marks per incorrect answer applies. In addition, candidates who did not study Kannada up to SSLC must qualify in a 150-mark Compulsory Kannada Test by scoring at least 50 marks. (2) Stage-2: Candidates shortlisted in a 1:5 ratio based on written exam and qualifying marks appear for the Physical Standard Test (PST) and Endurance Test (ET). ET requires qualifying at least 3 out of 5 physical events (100m sprint, high jump, long jump, shot put, and 800m/200m run). ET is qualifying only and carries no marks. (3) Stage-3: Candidates qualifying PST/ET are shortlisted in a 1:2 ratio for Comprehensive Medical Examination and Document Verification. Final merit and selection list are prepared strictly based on the Competitive Written Examination scores.

Syllabus & Exam Pattern Overview

Verified Official Source

What is the examination structure? Mode of test, total marks, duration, and negative marking rules.

Exam Tier / Mode

Competitive Written Examination (Offline OMR)

Total Duration

90 Minutes

Negative Marking

0.25 marks per wrong answer or unattempted question without option 5 shaded

Subject / SectionQuestionsMax Marks
General Studies & Mental Ability (Below Graduate / SSLC Level)100100
Exam Tier / Mode

Compulsory Kannada Language Test (Qualifying for non-exempted candidates)

Total Duration

120 Minutes

Negative Marking

None

Subject / SectionQuestionsMax Marks
1st Language Kannada (SSLC Level Comprehensive Paper)100150

Aspirant Ground Reality & Career Trajectory

Verified Official Source

Practical service rules, posting locations, transfer policy, and promotion ladder curated from official gazettes.

Work Culture & Environment

Office/fieldwork balance, duties, organizational environment.

Warders and Instructors in the Karnataka State Prisons and Correctional Services Department are stationed across Central Prisons (e.g., Parappana Agrahara in Bengaluru, Belagavi, Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Ballari, Shivamogga, Dharwad), District Prisons, and Taluk Sub-Jails. Duties entail internal perimeter security, inmate supervision, escorts to courts and hospitals, access control, reformatory discipline, and vocational skill instruction (for Instructor Grade-II). The role operates in 8-hour rotating shift duties (day and night shifts), requiring high vigilance, discipline, and emotional composure. Staff receive standard state civil service protections, uniform allowances, quarters in prison colonies where available, and National Pension System (NPS) benefits.

Posting & Transfer Policy

Initial posting criteria, zone preferences, transfer liability.

Initial appointment requires completing 9 months of foundational residential training at the Police/Prison Training School, followed by a mandatory 2-year probation period. Postings are allocated across Central Jails, District Jails, and Sub-Jails within the Residual Parent Cadre (RPC) in Karnataka. Routine zonal/institutional transfers occur periodically under department transfer guidelines, typically with a 3 to 5 year tenure per facility.

Career & Promotion Ladder

Promotion timeline, seniority ladder, pay grade scaling.

Warder is the foundational executive entry cadre in the prison services. Promotion ladder: Warder (Level ₹ 37,500 - 76,100) -> Head Warder / Chief Warder -> Assistant Jailor -> Jailor -> Superintendent of Jails. Career advancement depends on qualifying service tenure, departmental examinations (Prisons Manual and Departmental Codes), and spotless service records.
Crucial Application Warnings & Eligibility Traps

Avoid common application rejection triggers, photo/signature guidelines, and certificate validity windows.

  • Mandatory 5th Option Shading on OMR: KEA enforces a strict anti-tampering rule where unattempted questions MUST have the 5th bubble shaded on the OMR sheet within the allotted 5 extra minutes; failure to shade any bubble results in a 0.25 negative mark penalty per blank question.
  • Zero or Negative Mark Elimination: Candidates scoring zero or negative aggregate marks in the competitive written examination are summarily eliminated from the shortlisting matrix.
  • Compulsory Physical Test Standards: Candidates must qualify in at least 3 out of 5 events in the Endurance Test (100m run, high jump, long jump, shot put, 800m/200m run). Medical exemptions are not permitted, and pregnant candidates cannot participate in ET/PST.
  • One-Time Age Relaxation Applied: The upper age limits of 31 years (GM) and 33 years (SC/ST/OBC) already incorporate the 5-year one-time government relaxation under GO No. DPAR 262 SRR 2025; no further generalized extensions apply.

Category-Wise Vacancy Breakdown & Pay Scale

Detailed post distribution across UR, OBC, EWS, SC, ST quotas and 7th CPC Pay Matrix / Monthly Stipend.

Category-Wise Vacancy Distribution

  • Warder (Residual Parent Cadre)560
  • Instructor Grade-II (Residual Parent Cadre)16
Total Vacancies576

Pay Scale & Monthly Remuneration

Karnataka State Civil Services Revised Pay Matrix: ₹ 37,500 - ₹ 76,100 with incremental stages (₹ 37,500-900-39,300-1,000-43,300-1,125-47,800-1,250-52,800-1,375-58,300-1,500-64,300-1,650-74,200-1,900-76,100) plus applicable Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), risk/uniform allowances, and NPS coverage.

Karnataka State Revised 7th Pay Scale: ₹ 37,500 - 900 - 39,300 - 1,000 - 43,300 - 1,125 - 47,800 - 1,250 - 52,800 - 1,375 - 58,300 - 1,500 - 64,300 - 1,650 - 74,200 - 1,900 - 76,100 (₹ 37,500 - ₹ 76,100) plus State DA, HRA, uniform allowance, medical benefits, and National Pension System (NPS).

Karnataka Govt Salary Calculator

How to Apply Online Step-by-Step?

Follow this verified step-by-step application procedure on the official recruitment portal.

Application Procedure

  1. Visit the official KEA recruitment portal at cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/.
  2. Navigate to the recruitment link for 'Prisons & Correctional Services Department - Warder & Instructor (RPC) 2026'.
  3. Complete the online application form with accurate personal, educational, and reservation category details.
  4. Upload recent passport-size photograph (JPEG format, 50 KB to 200 KB) and signature signed with black ink marker/sketch pen (JPEG format, 50 KB to 70 KB).
  5. Pay the non-refundable application fee (₹ 750/- for GM/OBC; ₹ 500/- for SC/ST/Cat-1/Ex-Servicemen/Transgender) online through the integrated payment gateway before the fee deadline on 16 October 2026.
  6. Submit the completed online application by 15 October 2026, download the generated confirmation page/application printout, and retain a copy along with fee payment receipt for future selection stages and document verification.

Application Fee & Category Concessions

General Merit (GM) and OBC (2A, 2B, 3A, 3B): ₹ 750/-; SC, ST, Category-1, Ex-Servicemen, and Transgender candidates: ₹ 500/-. Fees must be paid online via KEA portal. Fee once paid is non-refundable.

Official Notification & Portal Verification

Direct links to the authorized government portal, official notification PDF, and career portal.

Verified Official Domain
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Frequently Asked Questions & Crucial Aspirant Queries

5 Queries Resolved

Clear, verified answers to top eligibility, exam format, salary calculation, and application queries for this notification.

The competitive written examination is scheduled to be held offline (OMR format) on 21 November 2026 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM across designated district centers in Karnataka.

Sarkari Job Khojo is an independent information service and job discovery platform. All recruitment insights, syllabi, previous year exam cutoffs, and selection stages are compiled from official government notifications, gazettes, and recruitment portals. We are not affiliated with, authorized by, or an official representative of any government agency or recruitment board. Always verify details in the official advertisement PDF before applying.

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