The special investigation team, headed by Inspector General Ajeetha Begum, summoned Baiju to clarify decisions surrounding the examination, evaluation of answer scripts and subsequent selection process. Investigators are examining whether the irregularities involved officials beyond those already accused.
The Crime Branch said R Hari, the commission’s additional secretary and an accused in the case, was absconding. Hari, who served in the examination wing, has been suspended pending inquiry. His whereabouts and any response to the allegations were not immediately available.
Baiju’s appearance coincided with the arrest of former PSC deputy secretary P Satheesh, who was taken into custody from Kozhikode earlier on Wednesday. Satheesh had supervised examination operations before retiring from service. Investigators have identified him and Hari as officials associated with the disputed evaluation.
The investigation centres on the omission of ten questions carrying 58 marks from the evaluation of answer scripts for the Planning Board post. The special investigation team has found that the omission affected the ranking of candidates and raised questions about the validity of the resulting selection list.
Investigators believe the candidate placed first would not have qualified for inclusion in the rank list if the excluded questions had been assessed. That finding has prompted scrutiny of how the evaluation was approved, whether checks were conducted and who authorised the final results.
The allegations remain under investigation. The identification of officials as accused does not establish criminal guilt, and the precise responsibility of individual commission members has not been determined publicly.
The Crime Branch had submitted findings to the court identifying Satheesh and Hari as accused. The government subsequently suspended Hari and withheld Satheesh’s retirement benefits. Both had previously maintained that the omission resulted from a technical error rather than deliberate wrongdoing.
The investigating team is seeking to establish whether that explanation is consistent with the examination records, the procedures followed by the evaluation wing and the decisions taken before the results were finalised. The distinction is central to determining whether the discrepancies amounted to negligence or intentional manipulation.
Baiju was summoned after investigators questioned several PSC members earlier this week. The chairman was also associated with the interview board for the Planning Board recruitment, making his account relevant to the sequence of decisions leading to the selection.
The Crime Branch had prepared an extensive questionnaire for the chairman, covering the conduct of the examination and the commission’s handling of the complaints. Details of his answers, and whether his questioning had concluded by Wednesday evening, were not officially disclosed.
The questioning follows criticism by the Kerala High Court of delays in the investigation. The court’s intervention increased pressure on the investigating agency to examine the allegations promptly and establish accountability through evidence rather than departmental findings alone.
Earlier, questions had arisen over the procedure for summoning commission members, who hold constitutional positions. The PSC had maintained that statements could be recorded at its headquarters, while investigators continued efforts to secure testimony from officials connected with the examination.
The inquiry has also attracted attention within the Legislative Assembly. Chief Minister V D Satheesan told the House on Monday that 188 complaints concerning PSC examinations, interviews and evaluation of answer scripts had been received. He said the investigation would examine possible lapses involving the chairman and commission members.
(The article ‘PSC chairman questioned; senior ex-official arrested’ appeared first on Free Press Journal.)
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