Three more Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) recruitment examinations are set to come under criminal investigation on Monday, 26 October 2026, significantly widening a recruitment scandal that had already prompted outgoing Governor Rajendra Arlekar to recommend the removal of the PSC chairman and 15 members. The Crime Branch is preparing to register fresh cases relating to the recruitment of Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors, Fisheries Extension Officers, and Village Oil Inspectors.

Governor's Removal Recommendation

It emerged on Sunday that Governor Arlekar had written to President Droupadi Murmu recommending action against the PSC's top leadership. The letter was sent shortly before he demitted office on 15 October. The recommendation was based largely on findings by the PSC's own internal vigilance wing, which reportedly identified serious lapses in the conduct of examinations. According to reports, Arlekar was dissatisfied with the explanations provided by the PSC chairman and secretary, whom he had summoned to Lok Bhavan, and concluded that stronger action was necessary to restore public confidence in the constitutional body. The President's decision on the recommendation is still awaited.

What the Three New Cases Involve

In the Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector examination, a preliminary inquiry reportedly found that questions prepared by a leading PSC coaching centre had been reproduced verbatim in the question paper. Investigators are examining how those questions entered the examination system and whether candidates received an unfair advantage.

The Fisheries Extension Officer recruitment has raised a distinct set of concerns. All candidates in the top 100 of the rank list were reportedly students of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies. Other candidates allege that teachers from the same university both prepared the question paper and served on the interview board, creating a potential conflict of interest. Allegations have also surfaced that the process disproportionately favoured SFI activists and student union leaders.

In the Village Oil Inspector recruitment, a PSC official's wife was allegedly appointed despite not possessing the prescribed qualifications, raising questions about whether recruitment rules were selectively applied in individual cases.

Court Pressure and the SIT's Pace

The fresh cases arrive amid growing judicial scrutiny. The Kerala High Court had earlier intervened in the broader examination irregularities probe, adding institutional pressure on the PSC. The state government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), but the investigation has drawn criticism over the pace at which it is progressing. The compounding nature of the allegations — spanning question-paper leaks, rank-list manipulation, and appointment irregularities — suggests the scandal extends well beyond isolated incidents.

What Comes Next

The registration of three new criminal cases is expected to widen the probe and compel the PSC to provide detailed explanations for each alleged irregularity. With the President's decision on the Governor's removal recommendation pending, and the Crime Branch preparing fresh FIRs, the constitutional and criminal dimensions of the Kerala PSC scandal are set to develop simultaneously in the days ahead.