The Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by S. Ajeetha Begum, Inspector General of Police, Economic Offence Wing Headquarters, will begin its investigation on Friday (July 10) into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC).

The Crime Branch team will start by recording statements from complainants as part of the preliminary inquiry in the Kerala PSC exam row. Officials are expected to gather detailed information on the recruitment processes under question before deciding on further legal action.

The probe was ordered after the state government entrusted the Crime Branch with investigating the allegations. The SIT also includes Zacharia Mathew, Superintendent of Police, NRI Cell, and Ajayanath G., Deputy Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch Headquarters. It will function under the direct supervision of the Additional Director General of Police, Crime Branch.

What the SIT will investigate first

According to officials, notices will be issued to complainants asking them to appear before the investigation team for recording their statements. The SIT plans to identify the recruitment examinations in which candidates have alleged irregularities and collect supporting details before expanding the inquiry.

The Crime Branch is also expected to issue a notice to the Kerala PSC in the coming days, possibly as early as Monday, seeking recruitment records and related documents. Investigators aim to examine the recruitment process from the initial stages to determine whether any lapses or manipulation took place.

Officials indicated that the SIT is not planning to register an FIR immediately. Instead, it will first collect evidence, hear all parties and assess the nature of the allegations before deciding on the appropriate legal course.

Allegations widened beyond Planning Board recruitments

The Cabinet ordered the Crime Branch probe after complaints emerged over the evaluation of answer sheets for examinations held in July 2023 for senior posts in the State Planning Board, including Chief of Industry and Infrastructure, Chief of Perspective Planning, and Chief of Planning Coordination.

The controversy began after two candidates obtained copies of their answer sheets and alleged that marks had not been awarded for ten questions. The PSC's preliminary examination reportedly acknowledged the lapse. Allegations later surfaced that the examination process had been manipulated to favour certain candidates, with claims that some beneficiaries were linked to Left organisations.

Subsequently, complaints expanded to other recruitments, including the Kerala Administrative Service (KAS), Assistant Information Officer, University Public Relations Officer, Fisheries Extension Officer, Assistant Professor in Law Colleges, Deputy Superintendent of Police special recruitment, and posts in the Economics and Statistics Department. Candidates also questioned the recent destruction of answer sheets relating to hundreds of completed recruitment examinations.

Why the government chose the Crime Branch

The government decided to assign the investigation to the Crime Branch after considering the Vigilance Director's recommendation and the legal opinion of the Director General of Prosecutions. Government sources said legal advice indicated that a Crime Branch probe would face fewer procedural hurdles than an investigation under the Prevention of Corruption Act and would have wider powers to examine all aspects of the case.

The allegations have triggered protests by the Youth Congress and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha outside the PSC headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.

Youth Affairs Minister O.J. Janeesh said the United Democratic Front government had also received complaints regarding other recruitments and demanded a detailed investigation into PSC examinations conducted during the Left Democratic Front's tenure over the past ten years.

The SIT has been directed to submit fortnightly progress reports as the investigation proceeds.