Thiruvananthapuram, 31 Oct (H.S.): The Crime Branch has registered a fresh case over alleged irregularities in Keralam Public Service Commission’s Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector recruitment examination after finding that 45 questions were copied verbatim from online study materials, officials said.

The case, registered against unidentified PSC officials following a complaint by Rahul Raj of Perumbavoor, forms part of an ongoing investigation into alleged malpractices in examinations conducted by the commission.

According to the FIR, the questions were reproduced from online learning resources, including Scamveda study materials and Sanfoundry.com. Investigators have also flagged alleged violations involving eligibility conditions and the inclusion of candidates who did not meet the prescribed physical standards.

The FIR further alleges that two additional courses were recognised as qualifying credentials before the application deadline, expanding eligibility beyond the qualifications specified in the original recruitment notification.

These irregularities allegedly enabled ineligible candidates to enter the rank list published on September 2, 2024, depriving deserving applicants of employment opportunities. The case invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In a separate development, PSC chairman M.R. Baiju has been named as an accused in a case concerning alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Fisheries Extension Officers.

Registered on October 28, that case concerns a rank list published on November 28, 2022, which remained valid until November 28, 2025. The investigation follows a complaint by Save University activist Sasikumar.

In his statement, Sasikumar alleged that certain officials leaked the question paper with the chairman’s knowledge to help candidates sympathetic to the CPI(M) at the fisheries university secure employment.

Baiju has been named as an accused on the basis of that statement. The allegations remain under investigation.

The two cases concern separate recruitment exercises and form part of the Crime Branch’s scrutiny of alleged irregularities in PSC examinations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman