Kerala PSC cancels statewide recruitment exams after question paper mix-up

The Kerala Public Service Commission cancelled statewide Last Grade Servants and Storeman recruitment examinations after a question paper mix-up at an Alappuzha centre. The incident, amid an ongoing recruitment controversy, has intensified scrutiny over the PSC's administrative efficiency and credibility

Alappuzha (Kerala): The Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC), already facing scrutiny over alleged irregularities in a recent recruitment process, was dealt another blow on Saturday after it was forced to cancel a statewide recruitment examination following a question paper mix-up at an examination centre in Alappuzha.

The examinations cancelled were the Last Grade Servants (LGS) and Storeman recruitment tests, scheduled to be held at 2 p.m. for posts requiring SSLC as the minimum qualification.

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The PSC announced the cancellation citing technical reasons.
The lapse occurred at the Lajanath School examination centre in Alappuzha, where officials mistakenly distributed the question paper meant for the afternoon session to candidates appearing for the morning examination.

The tests had been split into two sessions because of the large number of candidates appearing for the preliminary examination for various government posts.

The error reportedly came to light only after the morning examination had concluded, leaving the PSC with little option but to cancel the afternoon session across the state.

The Commission has said that fresh dates for the examinations will be announced later. The cancellation has caused severe inconvenience to thousands of candidates who had spent months preparing for the examination and had already reached their respective centres.

The incident has also sparked demands for a detailed inquiry into what is being viewed as a major administrative and security lapse in the conduct of the examination.

The latest embarrassment comes at a particularly sensitive time for the PSC, with the Crime Branch currently investigating allegations surrounding the controversial recruitment to the Kerala State Planning Board.

The controversy erupted after it emerged that 10 answers were allegedly left unevaluated before the rank list was finalised, even as a leader of a Left-affiliated organisation secured the first rank.

The State Information Commission recently directed the PSC to hand over all documents related to the recruitment that had earlier been withheld from candidates under the Right to Information Act within seven days.

The order was followed by the registration of a Crime Branch probe. Against that backdrop, Saturday’s examination fiasco is likely to further dent public confidence in the constitutional body, which has already been battling questions over the transparency, credibility and integrity of its recruitment process.