Thiruvananthapuram: Barely months after the Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC) brought to light the alleged recruitment irregularities at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), the whistleblower group has raised fresh allegations of possible manipulation in Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) recruitment, this time involving former students of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady.

The committee has alleged that the university's alumni secured government appointments in disproportionate numbers through the PSC, particularly in the recruitment of Sanskrit teachers to government high schools and higher secondary schools. It has also questioned the role of university teachers who allegedly set the question papers for the PSC examinations and a former student of the university who is now a member of the commission.

R S Sasikumar, chairman of the SUCC, said the committee had obtained details of 33 former students who secured government jobs through the PSC during 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. They belonged to different departments of the Sanskrit University and were appointed to various government posts, including as Sanskrit teachers in high schools and higher secondary schools, and at the Secretariat and the museum in Thiruvananthapuram.

Sasikumar, a syndicate member of the University of Kerala, said he obtained the information after the university's departments compiled details of former students who had secured placements, as part of the documentation for its National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation.

An examination of the list revealed that 19 of the 33 appointees had studied in the university's Department of Sanskrit Sahitya. The others were from Hindi (five), the Ettumanoor Regional Centre (three), Urdu (two), English (two), Arabic (one) and Museology (one).

The committee released the names of all 33 alumni, along with their departments and present places of posting.

Sasikumar said the university's other departments subsequently withheld their placement details after the controversy erupted. The 33 appointments, therefore, represent only a partial picture of the university's alumni recruitment through the PSC, he said.

Question setters and possible conflict of interest
The unusually high number of Sanskrit University alumni recruited as Sanskrit teachers in government schools stood out, SUCC said, particularly because the university is not generally the first choice among students seeking higher education in Sanskrit. "These former students were affiliated to the SFI, too," he alleged.

SUCC alleged that teachers from Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit set the question papers for various PSC examinations, including the examinations for Sanskrit teaching posts.

The allegations have gained significance against the backdrop of the KUFOS controversy, in which 38 of the 42 candidates appointed as Fisheries Extension Officers through the PSC were students of the university. The Crime Branch is investigating allegations that KUFOS faculty members were involved in setting examination questions and evaluating candidates, including their own students.

DYFI leader's role questioned
The SUCC has also sought an investigation into the role of Dr Princy Kuriakose, a former student of the Sanskrit University and DYFI Ernakulam District president, who was appointed a PSC member in November 2023 during the second Pinarayi Vijayan government's tenure.

Kuriakose had pursued her undergraduate studies in Sanskrit at the university before obtaining MA, MPhil and PhD degrees. She was 36 when she was appointed to the PSC.

Sasikumar alleged that the large-scale appointments of Sanskrit University alumni through the PSC followed her appointment as a commission member.

The committee has questioned her alleged role in the selection and appointment of question setters for PSC examinations.

Government asked to halt appointments
The committee has said the allegations warrant an independent investigation into the PSC's examination and recruitment procedures. It has demanded that the government examine the appointment of question setters, the role of PSC members and the circumstances surrounding the recruitment of Sanskrit teachers.

It has also called for the suspension of appointment recommendations from the disputed rank lists until the investigation is completed and action is taken against those found responsible.

The committee said it had submitted complaints to Governor Om Prakash Mathur, Chief Minister V D Satheesan, and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.