Keralam PSC exam fraud: Crime Branch indicts chairperson, members on charges of corruption, political favouritism
FIR indicts chairperson, other members for criminal breach of trust and wrongful employment of their constitutionally sanctioned authority to tilt the playing field in favour of candidates owing allegiance to CPI(M) by tweaking rank list for post of Fisheries Extension Officer
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch has indicted the chairperson and members of the Kerala State Public Service Commission (KPSC) in connection with suspected fraud in recruitment tests conducted for State government employment. The FIR, registered on October 28, accuses the KPSC chairperson M.R. Baiju and fellow members of criminal breach of trust and wrongful employment of their authority to favor candidates affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)).
The charges include criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Indian Penal Code and misuse of official authority to grant undue favours under Sections 7 and 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The KPSC conducted the tests in November 2022, with the rank list expiring in November 2025. The probe alleges that the KPSC stacked the deck in favor of Left-leaning candidates from Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), undermining public confidence in the commission's independent, fair, and merit-based selection process.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Hindu's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
