Kerala PSC exam scam: Suspended Additional Secretary Hari arrested

Thiruvananthapuram: The Crime Branch's Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the alleged Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) examination scam, on Friday, arrested its Additional Secretary R. Hari, who had been absconding since his suspension earlier this week after being named an accused in the case.

Hari, who was in charge of the examination wing of the PSC, was taken into custody from a relative's house in Kochi on Friday night.

He had gone into hiding after the PSC suspended him on Monday following his arraignment as an accused by the SIT.

His arrest marks a significant development in the investigation into alleged manipulation of a PSC examination, which has raised questions about the functioning of the constitutional recruitment body.

The case relates to the examination conducted for the post of Chief, Industry and Infrastructure Division, in the Kerala State Planning Board.

The alleged irregularities came to light after a candidate secured a copy of his evaluated answer script under the Right to Information Act, following a prolonged legal battle.

The SIT had earlier made its first arrest in the case by taking into custody the PSC's former Deputy Secretary P. Satheesh, who was in charge of the on-screen marking system used to evaluate the answer scripts for the Planning Board recruitment examination.

Satheesh, who retired around 18 months ago, was subsequently named as an accused in the case.

The state government has also frozen his pension benefits following his arraignment.

Hari and Satheesh were both named as accused by the SIT, with the former continuing in service until his suspension on Monday.

The alleged examination malpractice has triggered wider concerns over the transparency and integrity of recruitment examinations conducted by the PSC.

The disclosure of the irregularities through an RTI application has also brought renewed scrutiny on the internal examination and evaluation mechanisms of the commission.

The PSC Chairman, Dr M.R. Baiju, was grilled by the SIT earlier, and Hari is known to be his trusted aide.

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