Thiruvananthapuram: The credibility of the Kerala Public Service Commission is at stake with the irregularities reported over a couple of recruitment tests conducted of late. Amid the row over a few University College students associated with the SFI committing fraud in a police recruitment test, it has come to light that candidates who had secured just eight marks out of 100 in a Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) test have been appointed as legal assistants in the Secretariat with likely blessings from the employee associations of the ruling left parties.
The administrative reforms division that detected the latest irregularity has written to the PSC seeking changes to the selection process and fixing of a minimum mark for appointment. A high court order also prohibits appointment of candidates without minimum marks in the qualifying test.
The minimum mark for appointment by transfer as legal assistant is 40. But 11 candidates who do not have the minimum mark have been appointed as legal assistants. Some of the other scores include 11, 13 and 17.
The PSC recruits legal assistants directly, from lower-grade employees in the legal department and through transfer of employees from other departments outside the Secretariat.
This time, the minimum mark set for appointment in the open category was 41. But lower grade employees from the legal department who even got eight marks got their appointment.
The administrative department and the government likely turned a blind eye for the benefit of undeserving candidates. Interestingly, the appointments were for posts that are supposed to provide legal advice to the government for cases that go up to the Supreme Court. In the past too there were allegations that the government lost several cases in courts due to incompetent employees in the legal department.
Recently, it was reported that SFI leader Sivarenjith, who is the prime accused in the University College stabbing case, stood first in the rank list published by the PSC for civil police officers. Two other accused in the same case too had bagged top ranks. The PSC nullified their selection after a probe following the furore over the exam irregularities.