Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26: Three more Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) recruitment examinations are set to come under criminal investigation, with the Crime Branch preparing to register fresh cases on Monday over alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors, Fisheries Extension Officers and Village Oil Inspectors, IANS reported.
Source: IANS via Hi India
The widening probe follows outgoing Governor Rajendra Arlekar's recommendation to President Droupadi Murmu to remove PSC chairman M R Baiju and 15 members of the commission. The recommendation, sent shortly before Arlekar demitted office and based largely on findings of the PSC's own internal vigilance wing, surfaced on Sunday; Lok Bhavan sources said he also referred the matter to the Supreme Court, PTI reported.
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In the Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector examination, a preliminary inquiry reportedly found that questions prepared by a leading PSC coaching centre had been reproduced in the question paper. Investigators are examining how the questions entered the examination and whether any candidates received an unfair advantage, IANS reported. The allegation has not been proven.
Source: IANS via Hi India
The Fisheries Extension Officer recruitment has also come under scrutiny after reports that all candidates in the top 100 of the rank list were students of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies. Other candidates have alleged that teachers from the same university prepared the question paper and served on the interview board, creating a possible conflict of interest; it has also been alleged that the process favoured SFI activists and student union leaders. These are allegations, and investigators are yet to establish them.
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In the Village Oil Inspector recruitment, a PSC official's wife was allegedly appointed to the post despite not possessing the prescribed qualifications, raising questions about whether recruitment rules were selectively applied, IANS reported.
Source: Madhyamam Online
The former Governor's move has triggered a political storm in the state. The CPI(M)-led LDF has strongly opposed it, and Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan termed the recommendation illegal and unconstitutional, arguing that a PSC chairman and members can be removed only through the procedure under Article 317 of the Constitution and that the Governor had to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. The BJP, whose youth wing Yuva Morcha had first complained to the Governor, welcomed the move and demanded that the commission be dissolved. Ministers of the Congress-led UDF government were divided: K Muraleedharan backed the recommendation, while A P Anilkumar opposed it, and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the letter had been sent without informing the state government, PTI reported.
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The controversy began with alleged irregularities in the PSC examination for the post of chief of the State Planning Board, after which the probe was expanded to other examinations. The Kerala High Court has also intervened in the wider probe, and the investigation has faced criticism over its pace. The President's decision on the removal recommendation is awaited, while the registration of the three fresh cases is expected to widen the investigation further.
Source: IANS via Hi India