Kerala High Court lets the Crime Branch probe into a State Planning Board recruitment exam go on

14 October 2026

Justice A. Badharudeen of the Kerala High Court has said that the Kerala Public Service Commission's petition to quash the Crime Branch FIR did not require the investigation to be halted, as the Court has granted no stay.
The Crime Branch told the Court that ten questions carrying a total of 58 marks were left unevaluated, and that a later revaluation changed the rankings in the list.
The PSC sought more time to respond to the Crime Branch report, and the matter is to be taken up again after two days. Investigators are also examining the role of other PSC employees, and more than 150 complaints have been placed before the Special Investigation Team.
The recruitment concerned is for the post of Chief (Industry and Infrastructure Division) in the State Planning Board, notified in 2022, with a shortlist of ten candidates published in February 2025.
Earlier, on 5 October, the same judge asked the PSC why it was not cooperating with the investigation and questioned the maintainability of its writ petition; the Commission's counsel described the lapse as a clerical error caused by a computer problem.