Satheesan: Ex-guv didn’t consult us on PSC chairman’s removal proposal

Keralam chief minister VD Satheesan on Wednesday said that former state governor Rajendra Arlekar did not consult the state government before recommending the removal of Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman MR Baiju to President Droupadi Murmu after irregularities surfaced in connection with the conduct of recruitment examinations.

Addressing a press briefing in the state capital after a cabinet meeting, he said that Arlekar’s recommendation violated due procedure. “The Constitution mandates that the governor must consult the state government on such matters,” he said.

The remarks came 10 days after Arlekar, before his transfer as governor from Keralam to Tamil Nadu, recommended to the President that Baiju be removed as the PSC chairman after the irregularities surfaced. It was the first time in the history of the state that a governor recommended the sacking of the PSC chairman.

The state police’s Crime Branch is probing irregularities in the PSC examinations and has arrested a retired official who oversaw the exam in 2023.Baiju was also questioned by the police for several hours last week.

Satheesan said that the Governor’s recommendation cannot mask the “shocking” discrepancies in the conduct of PSC exams.

“The opposition LDF is trying to shield the PSC chairman and the members of the governing body by highlighting the Governor’s actions. The details emerging from the probe are shocking. But since the probe is ongoing, I cannot talk about them,” he said.