Kerala Constitutes SIT to Probe PSC Exam Irregularities

Overview

• The Kerala Police issued orders to form a three-member Special Investigation Team to investigate alleged irregularities in exams run by the Public Service Commission.
• State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar appointed S. Ajeetha Begum as chair with Zacharia Mathew and Ajayanath G as members, and placed the SIT under the Additional Director General of Police, Crime Branch.
• The SIT has authority to co-opt additional officers and must file progress reports every two weeks to the police headquarters, a measure the government says is meant to ensure a prompt and accountable probe.
• The inquiry follows complaints about the evaluation of answer sheets in PSC recruitments for senior planning posts held in July 2023 and protests by Youth Congress and BJYM at the PSC headquarters.
• The Vigilance bureau sought statutory clearance under the Prevention of Corruption Act and political leaders have demanded a wider review of PSC recruitments over the past decade, which could broaden the scope of investigations.