Thiruvananthapuram, October 28 — Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman M R Baiju appeared before the Crime Branch in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday for questioning over alleged irregularities in a State Planning Board recruitment examination, in the most senior-level questioning yet in the probe.
Source: The Arabian Post
The Special Investigation Team, headed by Inspector General Ajeetha Begum, summoned Baiju to clarify decisions surrounding the examination, the evaluation of answer scripts and the subsequent selection process. Investigators are examining whether the alleged irregularities involved officials beyond those already named as accused.
Source: The Arabian Post
The investigation centres on the alleged omission of ten questions carrying 58 marks from the evaluation of answer scripts for the Planning Board post. The investigation team has found that the omission affected the ranking of candidates, and that the candidate placed first would not have qualified for inclusion in the rank list if the excluded questions had been assessed — a finding that has raised questions about how the evaluation was approved and who authorised the final results.
Source: The Arabian Post
Questioning of PSC members began earlier this week. Three members who appeared before the team reportedly told investigators they had no direct role in conducting examinations or evaluating answer scripts, saying their involvement was mainly in interview panels, while the chairman, secretary and examination controller handled examination-related matters.
Source: BizzBuzz
Baiju's appearance came on the same day the Crime Branch arrested former PSC deputy secretary P Satheesh from Kozhikode, the first arrest in the case. Satheesh, who retired last year, was in charge of the examination wing and oversaw the on-screen digital marking during the evaluation of the contested examination; the commission had initiated departmental action against him and decided to withhold his retirement benefits. Additional secretary R Hari, also an accused in the case, has been suspended and, according to the Crime Branch, is absconding.
Source: BizzBuzz
The probe has also expanded beyond the Planning Board examination: the Special Investigation Team has registered two more cases involving alleged irregularities in recruitment to the posts of Fisheries Extension Officer in the Fisheries Department and Village Oil Inspector in the Khadi Board.
Source: BizzBuzz
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the government was committed to uncovering corruption within the PSC and that there would be no compromise in the investigation, noting that lakhs of unemployed people depend on the commission. "The corruption in PSC will be coming into the limelight. The Government is committed to unearth all corrupt activities of the PSC," he said.
Source: ANI via LatestLY
The allegations remain under investigation. Being named as an accused or being questioned does not establish criminal guilt, and the precise responsibility of individual commission members has not been determined publicly.