The Crime Branch has exposed PSC Additional Secretary R. Hari in the investigation irregularities case

PSC Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram

The Crime Branch on Friday arrested Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) Additional Secretary R. Hari, an accused in a case related to alleged irregularities in an investigation conducted for the State Planning Board.

The accused was reportedly detained at a relative’s house in Ernakulam. He has been on the run since the arrest of another accused P. Satheesh, a former deputy secretary of the PSC, two days ago. The two accused were allegedly in charge of the evaluation process of the controversial exam. The government has suspended Mr. Hari, pending an investigation, while pension benefits have been denied to the other accused.

‘intentional manipulation’

Meanwhile, the remand report of Mr. Satheesh filed by the crime branch alleges deliberate manipulation of the PSC investigation. According to the report, the irregularities were allegedly done with the knowledge and involvement of officials, including Mr. Satheesh and Mr. Hari.

The police claim that 10 questions were deliberately excluded from the assessment process and that the online assessment camp was subsequently closed without the questions being reinstated. Investigators suspect the questions were deliberately withheld because their ranking could change the ranking of candidates and prevent some favored individuals from securing an appointment.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has issued summons to the PSC secretary to appear for questioning in connection with the case. The Controller of Examinations will also be summoned to seek clarification on the alleged involvement of PSC Chairman MR Baiju and the accused officials in the case.

Notice to 10 PSC members

The SIT also decided to question the remaining members of the PSC as part of the investigation. Notices will be sent to 10 PSC members to appear for questioning.

The investigation team sought to clarify the alleged inconsistencies in Mr. Baiju’s statements during interrogation a few days ago. He allegedly claimed that the commission did not make any mistakes in its investigation of the Planning Board and that the irregularities stemmed from technical errors made by officials.

The SIT was also expanded to speed up the investigation. Two Superintendents of Police and one Deputy Superintendent of Police have been added to the team. Three newly registered cases were assigned to investigating police officers as part of the extended investigation.

Published – 31 Oct 2026 0:24 IST