THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bracing for a comprehensive probe, the special investigation team looking into the PSC recruitment exam row has been strengthened with the addition of 10 more personnel.
The SIT, which conducted the preliminary inquiry, had 10 members and sources privy to the investigation told TNIE that redoubling the team is an indication that “there is a lot of work to do.”
The SIT has so far received about 100 complaints and statements of complainants have been recorded in half of them. The SIT preliminary inquiry had revealed massive irregularities in the exam for the post of chief of industry and infrastructure department in the Planning Board.
The detailed inquiry envisaged by the SIT will cover all the allegations, including conduct, valuation, fabrication of documents and ranklist preparation in about ten exams.
The team had already collected documents related to the investigation from the PSC headquarters. Sources said the immediate attention is on “collecting and evaluating electronic records.”
This, the SIT felt, would help in determining whether the offences committed was due to administrative lapses or the rot ran deep.
After analysing electronic records, PSC top honchos, including its chairman M R Baiju, will be questioned. The SIT has three PSC staff on its radar after their role in the exam sabotage allegedly came to the fore during the initial inquiry. Their initial statements have been recorded and they will be subjected to questioning soon.
The topper in the Planning Board exam, who has been affiliated with a left service organisation, will be questioned this week itself.
The SIT sources, meanwhile, reiterated that during the probe they tumbled on suspicious financial transactions that initially suggest a financial angle in the exam scams. It was on the basis of this suspicion that they have invoked the Prevention of Corruption Act in the case.
The preliminary probe had revealed that the top rank holder had received unfair assistance from evaluators. The subversion surfaced after candidates realised that answers to 10 questions were left unevaluated.
Of these, the SIT probe found that the topper had four wrong answers, while leaving six questions unattempted. Those ten answers furnished by the rest of the candidates were not evaluated, which raised doubts about a botched evaluation procedure.
10 more personnel
The SIT, which had 10 members and sources privy to the investigation, has been strengthened with the addition of 10 more personnel
It has so far received about 100 complaints & statements of complainants have been recorded in half of them
It had already collected documents related to the probe from the PSC headquarters. Their immediate attention is on collecting and evaluating electronic records
