KALPETTA: The state government has issued an order to reinstate Abhilash S Pillai, the kingpin of the sensational PSC recruitment scam, who had been placed under suspension following his alleged involvement in the fake appointments at the Wayanad Collectorate four years ago.
The case involving the biggest job scam in the state’s history is being probed by a special investigation unit under the Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Bureau. The investigating agency is yet to file a chargesheet in the case in which eight persons were found to have produced fake appointment orders and advice memos of the Public Service Commission to obtain jobs in various government departments, chiefly in the Revenue Department.
According to sources in the Commissionerate of Land Revenue, the authorities concerned showed ‘special interest’ in reinstating Abhilash S Pillai, a native of Kollam district, before the completion of the probe.
As per the order, he could be appointed in any of the districts in the state other than Wayanad and Thiruvananthapuram.
“The Suspension Review Committee could have felt that the main accused could no longer influence the investigation which is in the final stage. The investigating team is awaiting the forensic science laboratory report to file the chargesheet. He could not be reinstated in Wayanad because the alleged crime was being committed there. Also, it would not be appropriate to appoint him in Thiruvananthapuram as he currently resides there,” a top Vigilance official told Express.
As per the FIR, the accused, including Abhilash who was a clerk in Section A at the Wayanad Collectorate, forged documents, mainly employment advice memos and police verification certificates, to help their clients land jobs.
Of the total 22 accused, five are still at large. One of the accused, Gopakumar, had committed suicide during the investigation.
The remaining four had allegedly fled to the Gulf soon after the scam was exposed. Many heads rolled after the scam began to unfold, including that of Wayanad District Collector T Bhaskaran, who was suspended on charges of “criminal negligence and dereliction of duty”.
Also, the Revenue Department had transferred 204 Collectorate staff to other offices in the district. The eight persons who landed jobs in the Revenue Department by producing fake certificates had reportedly paid hefty sums to the main accused.
Sources said Abhilash, who was an office-bearer of the employees’ union affiliated to the CPI, received an amount of around `4 lakh as subsistence allowance during the period of suspension. The last couple of payments were made through his personal account, which is irregular as per the service rules, sources said.