Interview rigging allegations rock Kerala PSC: Chief Minister urged to probe DySP, KAS recruitment

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Fresh allegations of recruitment fraud and systemic manipulation have hit the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC). Coming on the heels of the commission’s recent admission of evaluation lapses in key examinations, a formal complaint has now been submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing the state’s premier recruitment body of manipulating interview scores to favour specific candidates.

According to the complaint, major irregularities have compromised the integrity of selections for high-profile positions, including the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Special Recruitment (Category No. 205/2025) and Assistant Professor in Government Law Colleges (Category No. 569/24).

Alleged interview mark manipulation in DySP and KAS recruitment

Standard Kerala PSC protocols dictate that the interview board must remain strictly unaware of a candidate's written examination marks to ensure an unbiased evaluation. However, the petition alleges that this rule was deliberately bypassed.

The complainants state that inside access to written exam scores allowed the interview panels to selectively inflate the interview marks of favored candidates, effectively engineering their entry into the final merit list. Similar manipulations have been alleged in the high-profile Kerala Administrative Service (KAS) and State Planning Board selection processes. The complaint reportedly names several beneficiaries and officials involved in the alleged nexus.

Compromised question paper security and institutional lapses

The controversy is not limited to oral interviews. Serious concerns have also been raised regarding the structural breakdown of the PSC’s examination sub-committee, which is tasked with maintaining the confidentiality of question paper preparation.

Traditionally, the commission sourced question papers from three independent experts under strict anonymity to prevent leaks. The complaint alleges that this secure multi-tier system has been dismantled, with the commission now relying on a single individual to set exam questions. Since these procedures are classified as highly confidential, regular PSC members are excluded from oversight, leaving the process vulnerable to internal manipulation.

Political stacking of interview boards and RTI stonewalling

The process of appointing subject experts to interview panels has also come under intense scrutiny. While an Under Secretary officially signs off on the postings, the selection of panel members is allegedly controlled directly by the Chairman’s Secretariat. The petitioner claims that these interview boards are being intentionally packed with ruling party sympathisers to facilitate biased scoring during evaluations.

Compounding the controversy is the commission's apparent reluctance to maintain transparency under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The PSC stands accused of routinely withholding candidate marks even after the recruitment cycles conclude.

A primary example cited is the Police Constable rank list (Category No. 530/19). Candidates who filed RTI applications to find out their general exam marks were repeatedly denied access to the information. Years after the specific rank list expired, the affected candidates are still waiting for transparency regarding their performance.