PSC Exam Records Issue: Kerala HC Stays Information Commission’s Order for a Month

KOCHI:
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday stayed for one month an order of the State Information Commission directing the Public Service Commission (PSC) to disclose examination records in a case involving alleged irregularities in a Kerala State Planning Board recruitment examination.

The court also issued notice to the complainant, Thiruvananthapuram resident Shyam Krishna, whose Right to Information application had led to the Information Commission’s order.

The PSC challenged the Information Commissioner’s directive through a writ petition, arguing that the selection process had not yet been completed and that disclosure of the examination records at this stage could compromise the confidentiality of the recruitment process.

The PSC told the High Court that the interview, which forms part of the selection process, was yet to be completed.

It submitted that the examination records could be furnished after completion of the selection process.

Premature disclosure, it argued, could affect the integrity and confidential nature of the examination.

After hearing the PSC’s arguments, the High Court stayed the Information Commission’s order for one month.

The case has its origins in an RTI application filed by Shyam Krishna seeking complete records relating to the examination, including answer scripts and the interview mark list.

Acting on his complaint, the Information Commissioner had directed the PSC to provide the requested documents.

The PSC, however, had not implemented the order.

The Information Commissioner had come down heavily on the commission over its failure to comply with the directive and had criticised the delay in providing the records.

The High Court intervention comes amid the standoff between the PSC and the Information Commission over the disclosure of the documents.

The PSC’s writ petition had earlier encountered a technical hurdle, with the High Court directing the commission to rectify a defect in the petition and submit it afresh.

The matter was subsequently taken up by the court, which considered the PSC’s contention that the selection process was still underway.

The one-month stay temporarily puts on hold the Information Commission’s direction to hand over the examination records.

The complainant has been asked to respond to the PSC’s challenge, and further proceedings will determine whether the documents could be disclosed before the completion of the selection process.