The Crime Branch's Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) examination scam on Friday night arrested the Commission's Additional Secretary R. Hari, its second arrest in the case, IANS reported. Hari, who was in charge of the PSC's examination wing, was taken into custody from a relative's house in Kochi, with Malayalam news channel Manorama News reporting he was caught at around 7 pm.
Hari had been absconding since Monday, when the PSC suspended him after the SIT named him an accused in the case. His arrest is the latest major development in the probe: earlier this week the SIT made its first arrest, taking into custody former Deputy Secretary P. Satheesh, who was in charge of the on-screen marking system used to evaluate answer scripts, and questioned PSC Chairman Dr M. R. Baiju, to whom Hari is described as a trusted aide. The government has frozen Satheesh's pension benefits; he retired about 18 months ago.
The case relates to the examination conducted for the post of Chief, Industry and Infrastructure Division, in the Kerala State Planning Board. According to the investigation, ten questions were omitted from the evaluation of answer scripts, affecting candidates' ranks. The alleged irregularities came to light after a candidate obtained a copy of his evaluated answer script under the Right to Information Act following a prolonged legal battle.
The allegations against Hari and Satheesh remain allegations under investigation; being named as an accused does not establish guilt. Both men had earlier maintained, in related proceedings, that the omission resulted from a technical error rather than deliberate wrongdoing.
The alleged malpractice has triggered wider concerns over the transparency and integrity of recruitment examinations conducted by the PSC, the constitutional body that recruits for state services. The SIT is expected to produce Hari before a court and seek his custody for further questioning.
Source: IANS via The Freedom Press