Thiruvananthapuram, June 29: The Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) has annulled the current rank list for the State Planning Board recruitment exam due to serious irregularities in the evaluation process. This decision was made on Monday, following complaints that prompted the PSC to initiate a fresh evaluation and issue a revised rank list.
The PSC will also reassess ten answers that were overlooked during the initial evaluation. This oversight could have significantly altered candidates’ rankings.
A new rank list will be prepared after the re-evaluation. The commission’s internal vigilance wing has been tasked with investigating how this negligence occurred, whether established evaluation procedures were violated, and if disciplinary action should be taken against those responsible.
The controversy began when it was revealed that ten descriptive questions in the exam for the Chief (Industry and Infrastructure Department) position at the State Planning Board had not been evaluated at all.
This revelation raised serious concerns about potential discrepancies in candidates’ scores and rankings, leading to widespread protests and demands for corrective measures.
The incident occurred during the tenure of the Pinarayi Vijayan government, with all 15 PSC members appointed by the then-ruling Left Democratic Front.
This event has once again called into question the credibility of the Kerala PSC, marking it as one of the most severe examination irregularities witnessed by this constitutional recruitment body in recent years.
The exam was part of a joint recruitment process for three senior positions at the Planning Board, each offering one of the highest salary scales in the state government, approximately ₹1.25 lakh per month.
A total of 228 candidates participated in this exam, which was conducted for the positions of Chief (Industry and Infrastructure Department), Chief (Perspective Planning Department), and Chief (Planning Coordination Department).
This irregularity remained hidden for months, as candidates were initially denied copies of their answer sheets. The issue came to light only after prolonged proceedings under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, when candidates finally received their evaluated answer sheets and discovered that ten questions had not been graded. Had marks been awarded for those questions, the current rank list could have seen significant changes.
The PSC’s decision to cancel the rank list and order an internal vigilance investigation implicitly acknowledges the seriousness of this lapse.
It is hoped that the investigation’s results will establish accountability within the PSC and restore trust in the fairness of the state’s recruitment process.
The state government is adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach, as it is standard procedure for the PSC’s internal vigilance wing to investigate any complaints before determining the next steps.
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