Thiruvananthapuram: The Crime Branch on Wednesday arrested former Public Service Commission (PSC) official P. Satheesh in connection with the alleged examination scam, even as PSC Chairman M.R. Baiju appeared before the investigation team for questioning.
Satheesh was arrested in Kozhikode in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment examination for the post of Chief of the State Planning Board.
He was in charge of the examination wing and was responsible for the evaluation of the controversial examination.
The Crime Branch had recently named him as an accused in the case.
He retired from service last year.
The arrest marks a significant step in the investigation, which is now widening to cover the role of senior officials and possible irregularities in other recruitment examinations.
Baiju appeared before the Crime Branch team on Wednesday as part of the ongoing probe.
The questioning of PSC members began earlier this week.
Three members had appeared before the team, and their statements were recorded.
The PSC members reportedly told investigators that they had no direct role in conducting examinations or evaluating answer scripts.
They said their involvement was mainly in interview panels, while the chairman, secretary and examination controller handled examination-related matters.
R. Hari, Additional Secretary in the PSC's Examination Wing, had earlier been suspended after being named as an accused in the case.
The PSC had also initiated departmental action against Satheesh.
Following his retirement, the commission decided to withhold his retirement benefits.
The investigation has meanwhile expanded beyond the Planning Board recruitment examination.
The Crime Branch Special Investigation Team has registered two more cases involving alleged irregularities in recruitment to the posts of Fisheries Extension Officer in the Fisheries Department and Village Oil Inspector in the Khadi Board.
The latest developments have raised serious questions about the transparency and credibility of the state's public recruitment system.
The Crime Branch is examining the roles of officials involved in the examination process and is seeking to establish the full extent of the alleged irregularities.
Further action is expected as the investigation progresses.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
