Kerala HC Questions PSC Over 58 Marks Left Unevaluated in Recruitment Exam

The observations were made while the court was hearing the Kerala PSC's challenge to a Crime Branch investigation into alleged irregularities in an examination conducted for recruitment to the State Planning Board.

The court questioned how answers accounting for such a significant portion of the examination could have been omitted from evaluation and described the issue as a serious one.

The Bench also emphasised the importance of maintaining public confidence in the PSC, noting that the constitutional recruitment body is relied upon by lakhs of job aspirants across the state.

The state government opposed the PSC's contention that the omission was merely a clerical or technical mistake. Government counsel argued that leaving 58 marks unevaluated could not reasonably be treated as an ordinary administrative error and alleged that the circumstances pointed towards possible manipulation.

The government further informed the court that more than 150 complaints had been received in connection with the PSC and alleged that the Chairman and members of the Commission had not been cooperating with the Crime Branch investigation.

The court questioned why PSC officials had failed to appear before investigators despite being served notices. It observed that officials had a moral responsibility to cooperate with the investigation and indicated that the government could consider stringent action if they continued to ignore the notices.

The case relates to a recruitment examination for three Chief-level positions in the State Planning Board. The recruitment notification was issued in 2022 and the examination was conducted in July 2023.

According to the investigation, 10 questions in the common first paper, carrying a total of 58 marks, were not evaluated. The omission reportedly affected all 228 candidates who appeared for the examination.

Despite the irregularity, rank lists were subsequently prepared and appointments were made to two of the posts.

The Crime Branch is examining whether the failure to evaluate the 58 marks was an inadvertent error or a deliberate act intended to benefit specific candidates.

The controversy has also drawn attention to the composition of the current Kerala PSC. The Commission presently has a Chairman and 15 members, all of whom were appointed during the previous Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front government.

Under the Constitution, the Chairman and members of a State Public Service Commission hold office for six years or until they reach the age of 62, whichever comes first.

The Planning Board recruitment process itself was initiated during the Vijayan government.

The Kerala PSC has approached the High Court seeking to quash the criminal proceedings, maintaining that the evaluation lapse was inadvertent. It has also challenged the government's sanction permitting prosecution in connection with the case.

The High Court's observations came as it examined whether the circumstances surrounding the unevaluated marks warranted a criminal investigation and whether the authorities responsible for the recruitment process had adequately cooperated with the probe.