Senior Congress leader M.M. Hassan on Saturday, 31 October demanded that the Kerala state government recommend to the President of India the immediate removal of Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman M.R. Baiju and all its members, as the Crime Branch Special Investigation Team (SIT) deepened its probe into a widening recruitment scandal. Hassan said their continuation in office was no longer legally or morally justifiable.

Key Arrests and Questioning

The SIT's investigation has moved swiftly, with PSC Chairman M.R. Baiju and three Commission members already questioned. On Saturday, PSC Secretary Saju George appeared before the SIT 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 reportedly been absconding for several days. Retired Deputy Secretary P. Satheesh, another accused in the examination scam, was arrested two days earlier and is currently in judicial custody.

New Case Filed, Fresh Irregularities Surface

In a significant development, the SIT has registered a separate case naming Chairman Baiju, commission members, and officials as accused in alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Fisheries Extension Officers. 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 what is a constitutional institution.

The investigation has also reportedly exposed alleged irregularities in recruitment to the State Planning Board, where officials are accused of manipulating the evaluation process. This is the second major institutional domain drawn into the scandal, underscoring the breadth of the alleged misconduct.

High Court Pulls Up Investigation Pace

The Kerala High Court had recently come down heavily on the slow pace of the investigation, questioning why key accused had not been arrested or interrogated earlier. The judicial pressure appears to have accelerated SIT action, with multiple arrests and summons issued in quick succession.

Hassan noted that the questioning of a sitting PSC Chairman and members by the Crime Branch was unprecedented in Kerala's history. This comes amid outgoing Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar having earlier written to the President seeking the removal of the entire 16-member PSC board, comprising the Chairman and 15 members.

Congress Demands and Political Pressure

Hassan called on the V.D. Satheesan-led state government to immediately initiate constitutional procedures for the removal of the PSC board. He also called for examining the possibility of keeping the Chairman and members away from their official responsibilities while the investigation is ongoing.

Accusing the Commission of betraying unemployed youth and eroding public confidence in the recruitment system, Hassan said the government could not allow those facing serious allegations to remain in office. Critics argue that the delay in initiating removal procedures reflects a lack of political will, given that the PSC functions as an autonomous constitutional body whose members enjoy statutory protection.

With the SIT's net widening and the High Court watching closely, the Kerala government faces mounting pressure to act decisively on what is shaping up to be one of the state's most consequential public service integrity crises in recent memory.