Kerala PSC publishes results without evaluating 10 questions, rank lists under cloud
Kerala PSC published recruitment results without evaluating ten questions, potentially altering rankings. An appointment and advice memo were issued before the error was revealed via an RTI request.
Kerala PSC published recruitment results without evaluating ten questions, potentially altering rankings. An appointment and advice memo were issued before the error was revealed via an RTI request.
Kerala PSC published recruitment results without evaluating ten questions, potentially altering rankings. An appointment and advice memo were issued before the error was revealed via an RTI request.
Thiruvananthapuram: In a major lapse that has put the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) under scrutiny, the commission published the results of a 2023 recruitment examination for three top-level posts without evaluating 10 questions in the answer scripts.
While an appointment has already been made against the lone vacancy in one of the lists, the top-ranked candidate in another has received an advice memo. The third rank list, meanwhile, remains without any further action.
The lapse assumes significance as awarding marks for the omitted questions could have changed the rank lists themselves. Instead of rectifying the error, the PSC allegedly attempted to keep the lapse under wraps by withholding copies of the evaluated answer scripts from candidates. The discrepancy surfaced only after a candidate approached the commission under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, forcing the release of the answer script.
The common preliminary examination, held on July 13, 2023, was conducted for recruitment to three senior level posts in the State Planning Board: Chief of the Industry and Infrastructure Division, Chief of the Perspective Planning Division and Chief of the Planning Coordination Division. Each of these posts carries a basic pay of around ₹1.25 lakh. As many as 228 candidates appeared for the examination and the rank lists were published on May 31, 2025.
Arun J Prathap, the first rank holder, was appointed Chief of the Industry and Infrastructure Division the following month. He was an active member of a left-affiliated service organisation.
The interviews for the shortlisted candidates were conducted by PSC Chairman Dr M R Baiju, a CPM nominee, along with two PSC members. The valuation error is understood to have come to the commission's notice during the selection process itself, but it was kept undisclosed.
The lapse surfaced only after K Shyam Krishna, who secured the third rank, raised doubts over his marks and sought a copy of his answer script. A verification of the script revealed that questions 9 to 18 had been left unevaluated during the digital On-Screen Marking (OSM) process. A subsequent preliminary verification by the PSC confirmed that the same 10 questions were not evaluated in the answer scripts of all 228 candidates. Despite this, the commission took no measures to rectify the error.
The PSC is yet to publish the marks obtained by candidates, even three years after the examination, citing that the three rank lists have not attained finality.
The latest controversy adds to the growing scrutiny of the commission's recruitment process, amid allegations regarding appointments to the posts of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) and Assistant Information Officer.