Eight of the 20 posts of members in the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) are vacant at a time when the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has been accused of regularising the services of temporary staff in various departments and extending the rank lists prepared by the recruitment panel.
Sources said that the term of Lopus Mathew ended on December 17, 2020, while D. Rajan retired on November 2 and P. Suresh Kumar on April 4. The tenure of P. Sivadasan, T.T. Ismail, Simmi Rosebell John, and E. Raveendranath expired on June 3, 2019, and that of S. Shine on June 10 the same year. M.K. Raghunathan is scheduled to retire on April 9 this year.
It is learnt that the government is yet to nominate new members to replace them. The tenure of a KPSC member is for six years or 62 years of age, whichever is earlier.
The norms
According to the KPSC website, “ ...The chairman and members of the Commission are appointed by the Governor of the State. The composition of the Commission is such that as nearly as one half of the members of it shall be persons who on the date of their appointment have at least 10 years of service under the Government.”
Sources told The Hindu that the size of multi-member interview boards could get reduced now. This would lead to more workload for the remaining members and possible delay in appointments to various departments.
Also, the PSC members chair the department-level promotion committees, in which the respective Principal Secretaries are the conveners. If the commission lacks full strength, it could affect the promotion procedures of government employees, the sources added.
It is not clear if the government will nominate new members as the Central Election Commission is expected to issue notification for the Assembly polls within a month or so. The model of code of conduct will be in force thereafter.
