'Serious irregularity, prima facie major corruption': High Court lashes out at PSC

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has termed the allegations against the Public Service Commission (PSC) over irregularities in an examination for senior posts in the Planning Board as serious. The court asked the PSC whether leaving answers carrying 58 marks unevaluated did not amount to prima facie corruption. It also questioned whether there should not be a legal mechanism in the country to investigate an offence allegedly committed by the PSC and asked how the commission’s plea seeking to stop the investigation could be accepted.

The court criticised the PSC for not cooperating with the investigation. "Why is the PSC not cooperating with the investigation?" the court asked. It also directed the PSC to inform the investigation team of the facts. The government was asked to file its response to the PSC's petition within a week.

The Crime Branch had found serious lapses on the part of two PSC officials in connection with the Planning Board examination irregularities. Deputy Secretary P. Satheesh and Additional Secretary R. Hari were found to have committed the lapses. Satheesh retired from service one and a half years ago. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has submitted a report to the Director General of Police (DGP) recommending departmental action against the two officials who were in charge of evaluation.

The investigation team also found that the PSC chairman did not take action despite being aware of errors in the evaluation process and had adopted a position of protecting the officials accused in the case. The team is examining whether the lapses by the officials were mistakes or whether they deliberately aided the irregularities. According to the report, due to the negligence of the officials, answers carrying 58 marks were left unevaluated in the examination conducted for posts in the Planning Board.