The recommendation emerged on Sunday, two days after Arlekar relinquished his Keralam assignment on October 23 following his transfer to Tamil Nadu. Om Prakash Mathur has succeeded him as Governor. Officials said Arlekar had written to the President approximately a week before leaving office.
The communication reportedly sought action against the commission’s entire leadership, rather than Baiju alone. Officials described the intervention as unprecedented in the state’s history, although its legal consequences remain subject to constitutional procedures and any subsequent examination of the allegations.
Baiju is seeking legal advice following disclosure of the recommendation. He has maintained that constitutional requirements must govern any action against commission members. An emergency meeting of the PSC is expected on Monday to consider the developments and the legal position.
The former Governor’s intervention followed complaints submitted by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s youth wing, Yuva Morcha, and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Lok Bhavan officials said Arlekar sought material from the commission’s internal vigilance wing and examined findings from the police investigation before communicating with the President.
The Crime Branch is investigating suspected irregularities connected with recruitment for a position at the State Planning Board. The investigation has broadened to other examinations conducted by the PSC, which selects candidates for government service through competitive recruitment procedures.
Investigators are preparing additional cases involving examinations for Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector, Village Oil Inspector and Fisheries Extension Officer posts. Two officials, identified as additional secretary Hari R and deputy secretary Satheesh P, were named as accused in the existing Planning Board recruitment case on Sunday. The allegations remain under investigation.
The Kerala High Court has also questioned delays in the Crime Branch inquiry. Its observations about the handling of the investigation preceded Arlekar’s recommendation and added scrutiny to the response of the authorities and commission officials.
Under Article 317 of the Constitution, the President may remove a state public service commission chairman or member for misbehaviour only after a Supreme Court inquiry, initiated on a presidential reference, finds grounds for removal. Separate constitutional provisions cover specified circumstances such as insolvency, paid employment outside official duties or infirmity. A recommendation by a Governor does not itself terminate an appointment.
There has been no confirmation that the President has ordered a Supreme Court inquiry or that any member has been removed. The precise contents of Arlekar’s letter have not been made public, making it important to distinguish the allegations underlying his recommendation from established findings against individual commission members.
Yuva Morcha state president Manuprasad welcomed the intervention, saying his organisation had complained to the Governor about alleged misconduct and that Arlekar had sought reports before acting. The organisation has demanded broader action against the commission.
The controversy also places the state government’s response under scrutiny because the commission’s serving leadership was appointed during the previous Left Democratic Front administration. The constitutional tenure of its members does not automatically end when a government changes.
The dispute has brought competing interpretations of the Governor’s constitutional role into focus. While those supporting Arlekar’s intervention regard the complaints and investigative findings as grounds for seeking presidential scrutiny, opponents question whether his communication followed the prescribed constitutional framework. Any formal proceedings would require consideration of the evidence and applicable safeguards, rather than relying solely on complaints or preliminary investigative conclusions.
(The article ‘
‘ appeared first on Free Press Journal.)
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