India
CM Urges PSC to Cooperate with Police Investigation into Recruitment Test Fraud
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, that the Chairperson and members of the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) must cooperate with the Kerala State Police Crime Branch’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating alleged recruitment test fraud for posts in the Kerala State Planning Board (KSPB). The PSC, largely composed of political appointees from the former Left Democratic Front government, has refused to answer the SIT’s summons for questioning over serious and possibly willful lapses in evaluating answer papers. The PSC members and Chairperson defended their position by citing the constitutional body’s institutional autonomy and indicated that they would challenge the summons in court. About 300 candidates appeared for the tests for chief‑level posts, and many later accused the PSC of overlooking answers to descriptive questions and of negligence, willful or otherwise, in the On‑Screen‑Marking System. Mr. Satheesan noted that the SIT had identified potential criminal conspiracy behind the alleged lapses. He warned that the PSC’s credibility was at stake if its members and chairperson refused to face the legal process, reminding them that no office or organisation is above the law. “If they do not cooperate with the investigative process, the police will take their own legal recourse,” he added.