Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 10 (IANS) Kerala PSC Chairman M.R. Baiju has once again declined to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the PSC examination irregularities, saying he would wait for the High Court’s directive.
The chairman was asked to appear in the case on appointments made to top posts in the Kerala State Planning Board.
Baiju informed the investigating team that he would not appear for questioning on Tuesday and would wait for the High Court directive.
Meanwhile, the SIT has decided to place a report before the High Court on Baiju’s continued reluctance to appear for questioning.
This is the latest setback for the investigation, with the PSC chairman maintaining his stand despite notices from the Crime Branch.
The team had earlier questioned Baiju after he appeared before it in connection with the case.
However, when a second notice was served asking him to appear again, he did not turn up.
The investigating team subsequently issued a third notice, directing him to appear at the Crime Branch headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Baiju has now made it clear that he will wait for the High Court’s direction.
The SIT decided to approach the High Court after the court made strong observations on Baiju’s refusal to cooperate with the probe.
The chairman had earlier taken the stand that he would appear only after the High Court’s Single Bench passed its order.
The case has already seen the arrest of two persons, who are now in judicial custody.
One of them is a serving senior PSC official, while the other is a former PSC official who retired about a year ago.
The arrests have brought the functioning of the commission, particularly the conduct of examinations and the handling of answer scripts, under intense scrutiny.
The investigation is looking into alleged irregularities in the PSC examination process and the role of officials in the commission.
The arrests of the two officials have added to the pressure on the commission to explain how such irregularities could take place.
The court’s intervention is expected to be crucial in determining the next course of action in the investigation.
–IANS
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