Thiruvananthapuram, July 6 (IANS) In a major setback for the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC), the State Information Commission on Monday directed it to disclose examination records related to the controversial recruitment to the Kerala State Planning Board’s Chief Industry and Infrastructure post.

The Commission ordered the PSC to furnish all documents sought by applicants under the Right to Information (RTI) Act within seven days, overturning the PSC’s refusal to part with the records.

The order requires the PSC to provide candidates with copies of their answer scripts, details of the marks awarded in the interview, the complete mark list of all candidates who appeared for the examination and other relevant papers.

The records had earlier been withheld despite RTI applications filed by candidates seeking details of the selection process.

The Information Commission’s intervention is expected to throw further light on allegations of irregularities surrounding the recruitment process.

The disclosure of the answer scripts, mark lists and interview scores could help determine whether the selection was conducted fairly and transparently.

The recruitment had already come under scrutiny after it emerged that 10 answers in the written examination were allegedly left unevaluated, raising serious questions about the assessment process.

The latest order comes amid mounting allegations of irregularities in PSC recruitments, with the Congress and the BJP stepping up protests and demanding an independent probe into the functioning of the constitutional recruitment agency.

The release of the examination records is expected to intensify scrutiny of the controversial selection process and could provide fresh evidence on whether procedural lapses or larger irregularities occurred during the recruitment.

The disclosure of the records could provide fresh material for candidates and investigators to examine whether the Planning Board recruitment was an isolated instance or part of a wider pattern of procedural lapses.

The development is also expected to intensify political pressure on the Commission.

This appointment took place during the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government, and the entire 15-member PSC board was also appointed during the Left tenure.

–IANS

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