New PSC rank list for Planning Board chief exam, complainant secures first rank

Thiruvananthapuram: The complainant who exposed irregularities in the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) examination for the post of Planning Board Chief has secured the first rank in the revised rank list. The list was published after re-evaluation and interviews.

Shyam Krishnan, the complainant, moved up from third rank to first after the re-evaluation and interview. Arun J Prathap, who had earlier secured the first rank and joined the Planning Board, has slipped to fifth position.

“I was confident after the examination. But when I learnt that I had secured the third position, I felt that I should examine my answer sheet. My efforts to do so have now helped me secure the first rank.

“I do expect to get the job. There is no point in blaming the person who was appointed earlier. He is not the one responsible for all this,” Shyam Krishnan said.

Shyam’s year-long battle exposed one of the biggest frauds in the history of the PSC. The commission cancelled the marks awarded earlier, conducted a fresh evaluation and published a shortlist before holding interviews on Thursday. The revised rank list was released later in the night.

The PSC had initially published the rank list without evaluating 10 questions carrying a total of 58 marks. Shyam, who had scored 39 marks in the original evaluation, secured 59.50 marks after re-evaluation.

The PSC will write to the state government seeking the dismissal of Arun J Prathap, who joined the Planning Board around 15 months ago. However, since there is only one post and the error was committed by the PSC, replacing the existing appointee with the newly ranked candidate is likely to lead to a legal battle.