The Crime Branch investigating alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment conducted by the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) has issued a fresh summons to its chairman, M. R. Baiju, asking him to appear before the investigation team on November 10.The summons comes after Baiju failed to appear for the second round of questioning scheduled for Thursday. According to investigating officials, he cited a pending petition filed by the Kerala PSC seeking dismissal of the case as the reason for his absence.The investigating team is examining alleged lapses in the commission’s examination and evaluation processes, including irregularities detected in the recruitment examination for posts in the State Planning Board.
PSC chairman was questioned in the first round of investigation
Last month, the Crime Branch questioned Baiju as part of its investigation into the alleged recruitment irregularities. Four PSC members, the commission’s secretary and the examination controller were also questioned by the investigating team.The state government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Crime Branch to investigate alleged irregularities in the PSC recruitment examination conducted for posts in the State Planning Board.The investigation is examining how errors in the examination’s evaluation process affected candidates’ scores and final rankings.
On-screen marking errors left 58 marks unassessed
Investigators found that 10 descriptive questions in Economics, carrying a total of 58 marks, had not been assigned to the appropriate evaluators because of errors in the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.As a result, the answer scripts corresponding to these questions remained unevaluated. The lapse came to light during the examination of the recruitment process and raised questions about the accuracy of the original assessment and ranking of candidates. The investigation subsequently examined how the evaluation errors affected the final selection list.
Re-evaluation changed candidates’ rankings
The alleged irregularities came under scrutiny following a complaint by candidate Shyam Krishna, who had initially secured the third rank in the examination.A subsequent re-evaluation changed his position, placing him at the top of the merit list. Arun J Pradeep, who had originally secured the first rank, moved to fifth place after the re-evaluation, according to investigating officials.The change in rankings prompted further scrutiny of the examination and the evaluation mechanism followed by the commission.
Probe extended to other PSC recruitment examinations
Following the findings in the State Planning Board recruitment examination, the Crime Branch expanded its investigation to cover alleged irregularities in other recruitment examinations conducted by the Kerala PSC.The agency has registered three additional cases as part of the wider probe. So far, the Crime Branch has arrested PSC Deputy Secretary P Satheesh and Additional Secretary R Hari in connection with the cases. The investigation is continuing to examine the role of officials and possible lapses in the examination and recruitment process.
What is the role of the Kerala PSC?
The Kerala Public Service Commission is a constitutional body established under Article 315 of the Constitution of India. Its responsibilities are outlined under Article 320, which provides for functions such as conducting examinations for appointments to state government services.The commission plays a central role in the state’s recruitment process, making the allegations of evaluation errors and changes in merit rankings a matter of concern for candidates who depend on its examinations for government jobs.The Crime Branch’s next round of questioning of chairman M R Baiju on November 10 is expected to form part of its continuing investigation into the alleged irregularities.(With inputs from PTI)
