PSC documents point to chairman's role in irregularities; arrest likely, 12 members to be questioned soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) may move closer to arresting Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman Dr M.R. Baiju after finding evidence of his alleged role in examination and recruitment irregularities. Serious lapses came to light when the chairman was questioned for the second consecutive day on Thursday.

Though he initially tried to brush them off as technical issues, when questioned with documents placed before him, he replied that all of those were within his powers. When the SIT pointed out that, in that case, the responsibility for the lapses also lies with the Chairman, he remained silent. The SIT asked: if failing to evaluate all questions was a technical error, why wasn't it corrected after realising it? To this, he replied that a case had been registered even before that. When asked why no action was taken against the culprits despite the vigilance SP and others pointing it out, he fell silent again.

Statements given by PSC members and officials have reportedly gone against the chairman. Most of them told the SIT that the chairman and two commission members had taken the key decisions. The SIT has also received crucial documents pointing to Baiju's alleged role. The Crime Branch suspects a conspiracy behind several irregularities, including the failure to send all questions for evaluation, awarding unusually high marks in interviews and delaying the supply of answer sheet copies under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Meanwhile, the SIT has issued a notice to PSC Secretary Saju George, directing him to appear for questioning on Saturday. Notices will also be issued to 12 commission members, asking them to appear for questioning from Monday. The SIT has received information that the chairman took several decisions without involving the secretary. The members' statements contradict the chairman's claim that decisions were taken collectively. His statement is also similar to that of former Deputy Secretary P. Satheesh, who is currently in judicial custody.

Baiju reportedly made statements that sought to protect Satheesh and Additional Secretary R. Hari. He repeatedly blamed software errors for the irregularities. The SIT will question the chairman again after recording the statements of all commission members. It is seeking to gather further evidence before taking steps towards his arrest.

47 questions copied from online guide; fresh case against PSC

Another case was registered against the PSC on Thursday over alleged irregularities in the 2023 Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector examination. Of the 100 questions in the examination, 47 were allegedly copied directly from an online guide. The case treats this as an act similar to leaking examination questions. No one has been named as an accused in the case so far. Cases have also been registered recently over alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Fisheries Extension Officers and Village Oil Inspectors in the Khadi Board.

Accused remanded

P. Satheesh, who was arrested in Kozhikode, was produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Thiruvananthapuram and remanded to judicial custody. The SIT is expected to seek his custody on Tuesday. It plans to take him to the PSC office to collect further evidence. Meanwhile, R. Hari, who allegedly went into hiding with his family, is yet to be traced. His house in Pattom was found locked. A special team has been formed to locate him.