Former Kerala PSC official arrested in exam probe

The Crime Branch arrested former Kerala Public Service Commission deputy secretary P. Satheesh in a case involving alleged irregularities in a State Planning Board recruitment examination. KPSC chairman M.R. Baiju appeared before investigators for questioning on October 28, as the investigation widened beyond officials involved in evaluating the exam papers. Satheesh, who had been responsible for the examination section and evaluation process, was arrested in Kozhikode after being named as an accused. The Crime Branch has not established that the alleged irregularities were intentional. Satheesh and another accused have maintained that there was no impropriety and described the issue as a technical lapse. The Kerala High Court criticized the pace of the investigation on October 24, asking why key suspects had not been questioned and important documents had not been seized. Following those observations, investigators questioned Satheesh before his arrest. The court’s criticism concerned the progress of the probe, not a finding on whether the allegations were proven. The case concerns a July 13, 2023, examination for three senior State Planning Board positions. One report said...