Thiruvananthapuram, September 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The standoff between the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Crime Branch over alleged irregularities in appointments to the State Planning Board is set to escalate, with the constitutional body deciding not to send its members to the Crime Branch headquarters for questioning.
The PSC is instead preparing to challenge the Crime Branch notice in court, potentially triggering a legal battle over the manner and venue in which members of a constitutional body can be questioned by an investigating agency.
The decision was taken at the PSC’s meeting on Monday, amid concerns among members that they were being made scapegoats for lapses in the controversial appointments.
The Commission has maintained that its members are willing to provide statements but want the questioning to take place at the PSC headquarters.
The Crime Branch, however, has maintained that the investigating officer has the discretion to determine the venue and that there is no legal bar on summoning PSC members to its headquarters. The agency is understood to be considering informing the Commission that it will not shift the questioning to the PSC premises.
Four PSC members have been served notices directing them to appear before the investigating team from Tuesday. Three of them were part of the interview board for the controversial appointment along with PSC Chairman M.R. Baiju, who has not been summoned so far.
The questioning is considered important as the Crime Branch examines whether the involvement of PSC officials or members went beyond the lapses already identified in the selection process for two Planning Board appointments.
The investigating agency had earlier identified lapses involving two PSC officials, one of whom has since retired. Their role is now being assessed alongside the statements of the members who were part of the interview process.
The latest confrontation follows the first phase of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the PSC lapses and its recommendation to cancel the two controversial Planning Board appointments.
With the investigation entering its next phase, the dispute over the questioning venue has brought the issue of the PSC’s institutional autonomy to the forefront. The Commission’s proposed judicial intervention could determine whether the Crime Branch can insist on questioning its members at its headquarters or whether the constitutional body can seek to have such questioning conducted at its own premises.
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