Time to restore PSC's lost credibility

Once regarded as one of the most trusted constitutional institutions in the state, the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) is now facing the disturbing reputation of being an institution that protects those involved in examination malpractice. The allegations of irregularities against PSC Chairman M.R. Baiju and the Commission cannot be dismissed lightly. The PSC, which is the only hope for lakhs of candidates aspiring for government jobs, is going through one of the biggest crises in its history. The situation has become all the more serious with the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing serious irregularities in examinations held for top posts in the State Planning Board, issuing notices to the PSC chairman and other members.

Notices have been issued seeking to question all 16 members, including the chairman. They have been asked to appear at the Crime Branch headquarters from Tuesday. However, the chairman and members have rejected the notices, citing legal issues over summoning members of a constitutional body. At the same time, they are reportedly open to giving their statements at the PSC headquarters instead of appearing at the Crime Branch office. The notices were delivered to the offices of the chairman and members through a police officer on Thursday. The Crime Branch had already recorded the statements of officials and complainants.

The board that conducted the interview for the post of Chief of the State Planning Board was headed by the PSC chairman. The statements of the members are being recorded to determine whether there was a conspiracy behind the errors in the evaluation process. There are also reports that two officials may be named as accused in the examination malpractice case. The SIT is likely to submit an interim report to the court naming Additional Secretary R. Hari, who was in charge of the examination section, and Deputy Secretary P. Satheesh as accused. These officials were responsible for on-screen marking. The deputy secretary was supposed to hand over the answer sheets to the evaluators. However, the investigation found that the answer sheets were not checked either when they were handed over or when they were returned. Ten answers were also left out of the on-screen marking process.

Leaving questions out without evaluating them cannot be dismissed as mere negligence. It is essential to find out whether there was a conspiracy behind it and bring those responsible to justice in order to restore the PSC’s lost credibility. Allegations by some PSC members themselves that the chairman had been functioning unilaterally without consulting other members point to deeper problems within the constitutional body. It is the government’s responsibility to protect the transparency and credibility of this institution. Without doing so, the government cannot ensure justice for the thousands of ordinary candidates who depend on the PSC in the hope of securing government jobs.