THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the high-profile Public Service Commission (PSC) examination scam reached a decisive phase on Monday as investigators recorded the statements of two sitting PSC members and issued formal summons to the Commission Chairman and two other members to appear for interrogation in the coming days.
The statements of PSC members S. Sreekumar and S.A. Saif were recorded at the Crime Branch headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. However, a third member, Stany Thomas, who had also turned up at the office, was sent back by investigators as he had not been served a formal summons to record his statement.
Official sources confirmed that the SIT questioned the two members for over four hours. While the recording of Saif’s statement was completed in full, the session for Sreekumar was paused midway at nightfall and will resume subsequently. Meanwhile, two other PSC members have been served notices to appear for questioning on Tuesday, while PSC Chairman M.R. Baiju has been instructed to appear before the probe team on Wednesday.
Investigators indicated that five more PSC members will be questioned in the subsequent phases of the probe. Summons in the initial round have been specifically directed at members who oversaw crucial selection procedures and served on the interview panels for the controversial recruitments.
During the interrogation, the SIT scrutinized the two PSC members regarding official files bearing their signatures, as well as their participation in or convening of meetings linked to contested examinations and selection processes.
In a related administrative development, Additional Secretary R. Hari, named as an accused in the Planning Board examination fraud case, has been placed under suspension. Additionally, the state government has initiated proceedings against co-accused and retired Deputy Secretary P. Satheesh to withhold his pensionary benefits. Hari was in charge of the evaluation division, while Satheesh headed the on-screen digital marking system.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com