Thiruvananthapuram, 25 Oct (H.S.): Former Keralam Governor Rajendra Arlekar has recommended to President Droupadi Murmu the removal of Public Service Commission Chairman Dr M R Baiju and all its members following complaints of irregularities in recruitment examinations.

Arlekar submitted the recommendation a week before leaving office, making it the first instance in Kerala’s history of a Governor seeking the removal of the PSC chairman through a recommendation to the President.

The move brings the leadership of the recruitment body under scrutiny amid a Crime Branch investigation into alleged examination irregularities. The recommendation seeks action against the entire commission, extending beyond its chairman.

In his report to the President, Arlekar cited serious issues and findings concerning alleged examination malpractices. His intervention followed several complaints received by the Governor’s office regarding the conduct of PSC examinations and recruitment procedures.

Acting on those complaints, Arlekar had earlier summoned the PSC secretary to Lok Bhavan and sought an explanation. The meeting was part of his examination of the allegations before submitting the recommendation for the commission’s removal.

The State government had separately ordered a Crime Branch investigation into alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the PSC, including the examination connected with recruitment to the Planning Board.

However, the PSC chairman and members declined to comply with the Crime Branch’s direction to appear for questioning, adding another dimension to the controversy surrounding the recruitment body.

The recommendation places the complaints against the commission before the President, while the criminal investigation concerns the alleged irregularities in its examination processes.

The allegations have therefore prompted action on two fronts: an investigation ordered by the State government and an intervention by the former Governor seeking the removal of the commission’s leadership.

No decision by the President on Arlekar’s recommendation has been reported in the information available, and the allegations remain under investigation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman