Thiruvananthapuram: Home minister Ramesh Chennithala said the govt was unaware of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s recommendation to the President to remove Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman M R Baiju and 15 other members. At the same time, he said corruption in the commission was a serious matter that could not be justified and that the crime branch investigation was progressing well.Chennithala said he could comment on the governor’s move only after examining the matter. “We do not know about this. The govt was not informed before the governor sent the letter. Such an incident has not occurred before,” he said.Pointing out that numerous complaints have been raised about PSC appointments, Chennithala said the govt took the court’s criticism seriously and would work to restore the commission’s credibility.He said the govt would identify those responsible for irregularities in appointments and bring them to justice. There would be no compromise on action against those involved in corruption, he added.“Strong action will be taken within a week. The observations made by the court are very much on our minds. The investigation may have been delayed for various reasons, but it is clear that corruption has taken place. The police and the home department will take stringent action against everyone responsible, irrespective of who led the corruption,” Chennithala said.Meanwhile, revenue minister A P Anil Kumar said he was not defending the PSC chairman or members facing allegations of examination irregularities. However, he described the governor’s decision to recommend their removal without informing the govt as a matter of serious concern.He questioned the haste in making the recommendation before the crime branch submitted its investigation report. Sending such a recommendation just before demitting office was not in keeping with constitutional propriety, he said. “Lok Bhavan should not become a political centre,” he added.In contrast, health minister K Muraleedharan sharply criticised the SC, alleging that corruption had become widespread in the commission. He suggested that the allegations might have prompted the governor to recommend the removal of its chairman.“PSC is steeped in corruption. If it continues in this manner, it will become an institution that harms the public. That may be why the governor took this decision,” Muraleedharan told reporters.He said the govt was committed to fighting corruption and rejected attempts to invoke alleged BJP links to justify wrongdoing. “It is not right to bring up BJP links whenever something is said. Nobody should think they can engage in corruption by invoking the BJP’s name,” he said.
