Kerala PSC scraps rank list after evaluation lapse, orders vigilance probe
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Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) on Monday cancelled the existing rank list for a State Planning Board recruitment examination and ordered an internal vigilance inquiry following revelations of serious evaluation lapses.
The Commission decided to conduct a fresh evaluation and publish a revised rank list after rechecking 10 answers that were left unmarked during the original assessment, a lapse that could potentially change the rankings of candidates.
The PSC’s internal vigilance wing has been tasked with examining how the error occurred, whether prescribed evaluation procedures were violated, and whether disciplinary action should be initiated against those responsible.
The controversy emerged after it was found that answers to 10 descriptive questions in the examination for the post of Chief (Industry and Infrastructure Division) in the State Planning Board had not been evaluated at all.
The revelation raised serious concerns that candidates’ marks and rankings may have been affected, leading to protests and demands for corrective measures.
The incident occurred during the tenure of the Pinarayi Vijayan government, when all 15 PSC members were nominees of the then ruling Left.
The episode has once again raised questions over the credibility of the Kerala PSC and is being considered one of the most serious examination-related lapses faced by the constitutional recruitment body in recent years.
The examination was part of a common recruitment process for three senior State Planning Board posts, which carry among the highest salary scales in the state government.
A total of 228 candidates appeared for the examination conducted for the posts of Chief, Industry and Infrastructure Division; Chief, Perspective Planning Division; and Chief, Planning Coordination Division. Each post carries a basic monthly pay of around Rs 1.25 lakh.
The irregularity remained undiscovered for months as candidates were initially denied copies of their answer scripts. The issue came to light only after prolonged proceedings under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, following which candidates obtained copies of their evaluated answer sheets and found that 10 questions had not been assessed.
If marks had been awarded for those questions, the existing rank lists could have undergone significant changes.
The PSC’s decision to cancel the rank list and order an internal vigilance inquiry is seen as an acknowledgement of the seriousness of the lapse.
The outcome of the probe is expected to decide accountability within the PSC and help restore confidence in the state’s recruitment process.
The state government has adopted a wait-and-watch approach, as the general practice in PSC-related matters is that complaints are examined by the internal vigilance wing and further action is taken based on the findings.
With IANS inputs