Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC), the government body responsible for recruiting candidates to various state government posts through competitive examinations, has landed in an embarrassing situation after an official bulletin carried the photograph of Shuhaib murder case accused Akash Thillankeri instead of award-winning screenwriter Rajesh Thillenkeri.

The error appeared in the PSC bulletin dated May 15, an official publication widely used by candidates preparing for Kerala government PSC examinations and recruitment tests.

In a Samakalikam note on the final page, the bulletin carried details of the 49th Kerala Film Critics Awards announced for 2025. While the article correctly named Rajesh Thillenkeri as the winner of the Best Screenplay award, it published the photograph of former CPM leader Akash Thillankeri alongside his name.

The PSC has acknowledged that a mistake occurred, though it has not provided a detailed explanation of how the mix-up happened.

Error found in Film Critics Awards feature

The incorrect photograph appeared in a feature highlighting winners of the 49th Kerala Film Critics Awards.

Mohanlal was selected as Best Actor. Kalyani Priyadarshan and Anaswara Rajan shared the Best Actress award.

Rajesh Thillenkeri received the Best Screenplay award among others. However, the bulletin carried Akash Thillankeri’s photograph in the space meant for the screenwriter.

As a result, Akash Thillankeri’s image appeared alongside photographs of the award recipients featured in the article, including Mohanlal, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Anaswara Rajan.

Reports said the mistake remained uncorrected even in subsequent PSC bulletins published on June 1 and June 15.

Youth Congress seeks inquiry

The incident has prompted a complaint from the Youth Congress.

State general secretary Rahul V. submitted a complaint to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, describing the publication error as a serious lapse and seeking strict action against those responsible.

According to the complaint, the May 15 PSC bulletin published Akash Thillankeri’s photograph in place of Rajesh Thillenkeri’s in the Film Critics Awards note. It has sought a detailed inquiry into how the error occurred.

The complaint also alleged that the bulletin may have been published by Left-leaning officials within the PSC through Deshabhimani Press and called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the publication of the photograph.