Court flays govt, police for tardy PSC probe

The Kerala High Court has raised concerns over the sluggishness of key government and police officials in probing alleged irregularities surrounding a Public Service Commission (PSC) recruitment examination held in July 2023 for senior positions at the State Planning Board. Justice A. Badharudeen, during the hearing considering a petition by the PSC, questioned why central suspects in the case had not been interrogated by investigators.

The court also added V. S. Jayalal, a candidate who challenged the evaluation process before the Kerala Administrative Tribunal, as a party to the proceedings to address his grievances regarding the revaluation of examination papers. The court highlighted the lack of effectiveness in an investigation where key individuals were not examined, and cautioned that the closeness between the government and the commission could erode public trust in the process.

The Crime Branch is probing allegations surrounding an examination where 10 questions, totaling 58 marks, were omitted from the original assessment of a paper taken by 228 candidates. The investigation is looking into whether the omissions were due to a technical or administrative mistake or were intentional actions to influence recruitment outcomes.

The PSC maintains the mistake was clerical or related to computer issues, while the Crime Branch argues for a criminal inquiry due to alleged procedural violations, suggesting the investigation should not merely be handled through internal corrections and departmental proceedings.