Kerala Public Service Commission Faces Intense Scrutiny as Crime Branch Expands Exam Irregularities Probe
The Kerala Public Service Commission is facing mounting pressure following the discovery of unassessed answer scripts from a 2023 State Planning Board recruitment exam. This administrative failure has rapidly escalated into extensive criminal investigations across multiple recruitment processes.
- A routine 2023 State Planning Board exam review exposed unassessed answer sheets, triggering widespread concern.
- The Kerala Crime Branch has expanded its mandate to investigate multiple instances of alleged evaluation discrepancies.
- Public confidence in the region's elite recruitment body faces a severe test as investigators widen their net.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — The integrity of the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) is facing unprecedented public and legal scrutiny after a series of alleged examination malpractices prompted the state Crime Branch to initiate multiple formal investigations. The unfolding crisis centers on systemic oversight failures that first came to light following the mishandling of recruitment papers intended for high-level advisory positions within the State Planning Board.
This unfolding controversy traces back to an administrative audit of a competitive examination conducted in 2023, where authorities discovered a cache of candidate answer booklets that had inexplicably bypassed evaluation protocols. What initially appeared to be an isolated administrative oversight has since snowballed into a much larger scandal, as whistleblowers and opposition leaders highlight patterns of procedural lapses in several recent high-stakes government recruitment drives managed by the commission.
According to reports published by The Hindu, investigative teams are currently reviewing digital audit trails, answer sheet custody chains, and internal communication logs to determine whether the irregularities were the result of gross negligence or deliberate tampering. While commission leadership has defended its overall operational framework, pressure is mounting from civil society groups and job aspirants demanding absolute transparency and accountability from the state's premier employment vetting agency.
