Keralam Lok Bhavan recommends removal of KPSC chairman Baiju to President Murmu over irregularities in recruitment

Thiruvananthapuram: In a "rare" move, former Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has recommended the removal of KPSC Chairman M R Baiju, following complaints of irregularities against the recruitment body, when he held the gubernatorial post before being transferred to Tamil Nadu, sources said on Sunday.

Arlekar was till recently the governor of Keralam and handling additional responsibility of Tamil Nadu as well, before he was transferred to the neighbouring state. Om Prakash Mathur has since succeeded Arlekar.

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According to Lok Bhavan sources, Arlekar sent a letter to President Droupadi Murmu recommending the removal of Baiju, citing allegations of irregularities and an investigation into the statutory body's functioning.

Officials said that such a move had not been reported in the state's history.

The Kerala Public Service Commission is responsible for recruitment to government services in the state.

The development comes amid a Crime Branch investigation into alleged irregularities in the PSC examination for the post of chief of the State Planning Board.

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The probe was later expanded to cover alleged irregularities in other PSC examinations as well.

Lok Bhavan sources said Yuva Morcha and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had submitted a complaint to Arlekar when he was serving as governor.

Following the complaint, he sought a report from the PSC's internal vigilance wing on the allegations.

Arlekar also examined the police investigation report into the allegations against the commission, the sources said.

About a week before being transferred, he sent the letter to the President detailing the reasons for recommending the removal of the PSC chairman, they said.

He also referred the matter to the Supreme Court, sources added.

Arlekar was relieved of his duties as Keralam governor on October 23 after being transferred to Tamil Nadu.

BJP's youth wing, Yuva Morcha, welcomed the move to remove Baiju and demanded that the statutory body be dissolved.

Yuva Morcha state president Manuprasad said the organisation had first submitted a complaint to the governor regarding alleged irregularities in the PSC's functioning, following which Arlekar sought reports and recommended the chairman's removal to President Murmu.

"We had filed the complaint to the governor, based on which he sought reports and made recommendations to the President. We also want a detailed probe into the functioning of the body," Manuprasad told PTI.

He said Yuva Morcha was seeking an appointment with the President to raise its concerns over the PSC and unemployment in the state.

"We, along with senior BJP leaders, are looking for an appointment with the President. Once it is granted, a delegation from Keralam, including Yuva Morcha representatives, will raise our concerns about the PSC and unemployment in the state," he said.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition, Pinarayi Vijayan, alleged that Lok Bhavan acted unconstitutionally by recommending the removal of the PSC chairman and the dissolution of the commission, and demanded that the state government clarify its stand on the issue.

In a statement, the CPI(M) veteran termed the governor's move illegal, unconstitutional and an abuse of power, arguing that the removal of the PSC chairman and members could only be undertaken by following the procedure prescribed under Article 317 of the Constitution.

Under Article 316, members of the PSC are appointed for a six-year term, he said, adding that the President could remove a chairman or member on grounds of misbehaviour only after the Supreme Court conducted an inquiry.

No such inquiry had been conducted against members of the Keralam PSC, and therefore the governor had no constitutional authority to make such a recommendation, the former chief minister said.

He alleged that the outgoing governor's action was a continuation of what he described as illegal interventions in the state affairs.

Citing Article 163 of the Constitution, Vijayan said the governor was required to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers and had no independent authority in the matter.

He said there was no precedent in Keralam for removing the PSC chairman and members whenever a government changed.

New members were appointed only after the existing members completed their tenure, he added.

He called for collective resistance against what he described as an organised attempt to weaken the commission's credibility.

LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan criticised the move, saying it was aimed at undermining the constitutional body's independence and serving the BJP's political interests.

Speaking to reporters, Ramakrishnan said the governor should have taken steps to protect the PSC's independent functioning rather than making a recommendation that could divert it from its responsibility to safeguard the public interest.

He maintained that the PSC had generally sought to uphold its constitutional responsibilities and ensure fair recruitment to government posts in the state.

On the other hand, Health Minister K Muraleedharan backed the former governor's recommendation to remove the PSC chairman, saying alleged irregularities in the recruitment body had become evident following the state government's decision to order a probe.

Speaking to the media, he said that the PSC, despite being an independent body, had deviated from its intended role and become an organisation plagued by "corruption".

"It turned into an organisation with corruption. The negative result of this is what we are witnessing," he said.

Muraleedharan blamed the LDF government's tenure for the deterioration of the commission's functioning and said the existing body should be dissolved.