Stung by one scam after another in the recruitments held in recent times, the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) has ordered an internal inquiry to identify employees who connived with the suspects who took money from candidates.
The Commission has introduced a series of reforms to bring about more transparency and fool-proof methods of conducting examinations in future.
Aadhaar mandatory
As part of the reforms, Aadhaar has been made compulsory for candidates who will be permitted to write the examination after verification of fingerprints.
Admitting that some irregularities occurred in some examinations despite reforms, TNPSC Secretary K. Nanthakumar said it had been decided to publish names of all successful candidates on the official website. After the selection, answer scripts (OMR and written scripts) will be made available on the website for a fee.
Where candidates are selected through personal interview, the details of the posts filled and vacancies under various categories would be published online.
According to a senior TNPSC official, an in-depth investigation was on to identify employees who connived with the suspects. The scam could have been detected at the initial stages had the check-list been followed scrupulously. Had the damaged seals of answer scripts bundles or those on vehicle locks been noticed, the scam could have been detected much earlier.
“Whoever is involved and however high he or she may be placed in this organisation, firm action as per law will be taken. We will roll out reforms to ensure that the system gets fool-proof,” the official who preferred not to be quoted said.
VAO arrested
The Crime Branch CID of the Tamil Nadu police on Friday arrested M. Narayanan, alias Sakthi, Village Administrative Officer of Ariyur in Villuppuram district, who paid ₹3.5 lakh for himself and ₹34 lakh for five others to pass the VAO examination conducted by the TNPSC in 2016.
The prime suspect in the case S. Jayakumar took the money and helped all of them clear the examination and get into service as VAOs in the Tamil Nadu Ministerial Service.
Efforts were on to arrest the other accused VAOs in the case, sources in the agency said. Mr. Narayanan was accused of paying ₹73 lakh to Jayakumar to help Mr. Narayanan’s wife Mahalakshmi and seven others to clear the Group-IIA services examination held in 2017.
A city court on Friday granted the CBCID seven days custody of Jayakumar.
A special team was questioning the prime suspect on his role in helping candidates clear various examinations conducted by the TNPSC in the recent years, the sources added.
