Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 31 — With the Crime Branch tightening its investigation into the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) recruitment scandal, senior Congress leader M.M. Hassan on Saturday demanded that the state government recommend to the President the removal of the PSC Chairman and all its members, saying their continuation in office was no longer legally or morally justifiable.
The demand comes amid a series of developments in the investigation, with PSC Chairman M.R. Baiju and three Commission members already questioned by the Crime Branch Special Investigation Team (SIT).
PSC Secretary Saju George appeared before the SIT on Saturday for questioning.
On Friday night, the SIT arrested R. Hari, a suspended Additional Secretary in the PSC examination wing, from a relative's house in Kochi.
He had been absconding for the past few days. Retired Deputy Secretary P. Satheesh, another accused in the examination scam, was arrested two days earlier and is currently in judicial custody.
In a significant development, the SIT has also registered a separate case naming Chairman Baiju, commission members, and officials as accused in alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Fisheries Extension Officers.
The investigators allege that official powers were misused to favour ineligible candidates by manipulating rankings, denying deserving candidates their rightful opportunities and damaging the credibility of the constitutional institution.
The investigation has also exposed alleged irregularities in recruitment to the State Planning Board, where officials are accused of manipulating the evaluation process.
The High Court had recently come down heavily on the slow pace of the investigation, questioning why key accused had not been arrested or interrogated.
Hassan said the questioning of a PSC Chairman and members by the Crime Branch was unprecedented in Kerala.
Outgoing Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar had earlier written to the President seeking the removal of the 16-member PSC board, comprising the Chairman and 15 members.
Hassan said the V.D. Satheesan government should immediately initiate constitutional procedures for their removal.
He also called for examining the possibility of keeping the Chairman and members away from their official responsibilities while the investigation continued.
Accusing the Commission of betraying unemployed youth and destroying public confidence in the recruitment system, Hassan said the government could not allow those facing serious allegations to continue in office.