Former Kerala Guv recommends removing PSC chairman, LDF calls it abuse of power

Former Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar recommended to President Droupadi Murmu the removal of Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman MR Baiju over alleged recruitment irregularities, in what is being described as an unprecedented move.

According to reports, Arlekar sent the formal recommendation letter to the President a week before being relieved of his duties as the Governor of Kerala and moving to Tamil Nadu. Arlekar took over full-time charge as the Tamil Nadu Governor on 15 October.

The recommendation follows a Crime Branch investigation into irregularities in the recruitment exam for the State Planning Board and other such tests, which revealed unexamined answer sheets and evaluation errors. Arlekar also received complaints from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) over the issue.

Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the move as unconstitutional, illegal, and an abuse of power, noting that the Supreme Court has not conducted any inquiry into the members. “Under Article 317, the President can remove a PSC Chairman or member on grounds of misbehaviour only after the Supreme Court, following an inquiry, has reported that they should be removed. This also raises concerns about the use of Lok Bhavans for the BJP’s political agenda. The UDF Government must clarify its stand and unequivocally oppose any attempt to bypass constitutional procedures or undermine institutional autonomy,” he wrote on X.

BJP Kerala state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and the party's youth wing BJYM welcomed the step, stating it challenges alleged malpractices within the recruitment body. “That there was corruption and malgovernance in PSC is without doubt. That young Malayalee rank holders have been harmed by this is without doubt. That young Malayalees protested and that BJP and Yuva Morcha stood steadfast with these protesting students made this protest stronger and one that the government could not ignore,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrote on X and also asked the UDF government why they are not taking any action in the case.

The allegations against the PSC stemmed from the July 2023 recruitment examination for the Chief (Industry and Infrastructure Division) and related senior posts in the Kerala State Planning Board. After the results were declared, two candidates filed Right to Information (RTI) queries to get their mark sheets. They found that 10 descriptive questions carrying 58 marks were left unevaluated across the digital On-Screen Marking sheets of all 228 candidates.

Later, the evaluation was conducted, and the initial first-rank holder, Arun J Prathap, dropped to fifth place, while Shyam Krishnan moved up from third to first rank.