State Youth Congress president OJ Janeesh has demanded that Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar not approve the state cabinet’s recommendation to appoint I. Shihabuddeen as a member of the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC), citing serious allegations of corruption against him.
In media reports on Wednesday, Mr Janeesh said Mr Shihabuddeen was facing charges of accepting bribes from ship owners in connection with the granting of permits. He claimed that the affected ship owners had directly lodged complaints with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against Mr. Shihabuddeen and said that they were duped in the process.
“The appointment of a person who is accused of accepting bribes and acting without any moral integrity as a PSC member is a challenge to a constitutional institution,” Janeesh said, adding that the government’s move to recommend his name despite being aware of the allegations is highly questionable, especially in the final phase of his tenure.
The Youth Congress urged the governor not to sign the appointment, arguing that such a decision would undermine the credibility of the Political and Security Committee.
Mr. Janeesh also criticized the government’s decision to raise the upper age limit for PSC exams to 40, calling it misleading and unfair to existing job seekers. He pointed out that though the age limit has been raised, appointments from the current rank lists are not being made nor are expiring rank lists being renewed.
According to him, the revised age limit favors only the prospective candidates who will write the upcoming examinations and does not offer any relaxation to the candidates who are already included in the existing rank lists. He further claimed that the move is a political attempt to appease the youth ahead of the elections and to justify the future increase in the retirement age under the revised age criteria.
Published – 25 Feb 2026 21:05 IST
