By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala University has not yet given a report on the 36,000 “missing” answers sheets of an exam conducted to recruit assistants in 2006, which it was asked to produce for a probe into alleged irregularities in the results and appointments, officials said Saturday.
There were complaints that of the 160 people who were appointed as assistants, 60 were allegedly close relatives and friends of people in the ruling political party.
The case is currently being heard by the Upa Lokayukta, a quasi judicial body, and Friday was the last date for the university to produce the answer sheets of the 2006 exam.
“Kerala University should make clear the actual position with regards to the case. If the answer sheets are missing, it could be inferred that the papers were destroyed,” said Justice N. Krishnan Nair, the Upa Lokayukta.
Though the test was conducted during the previous Congress-led government, the list of those who passed the exam was put out after the Left Democratic Front came to power and the final list of successful candidates came a few months back.
State Education Minister M.A. Baby said the government was awaiting the report from the university.
“Once we get the report, we will look into what has happened,” Baby told reporters Saturday.
The alleged irregularities in appointments were brought to light by Kerala University senate member and Congress student leader Sujith S. Kurup. He filed a case with the Upa Lokayukta, stating that there was large-scale corruption over appointments.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor M.K. Ramachandran Nair and Registrar K.A. Ashim are the first and second accused in the case filed by Kurup.
On Friday, Justice Nair suo moto included Pro Vice Chancellor V. Jayaprakash as the third accused as he was in charge of the recruitment process.
The university cut a sorry figure when a two-member team went to a high-security printing press in Uttar Pradesh to find out if the answer sheets were there, but returned empty-handed.
The Upa Lokayukta has now posted the case for hearing next Friday. It has asked the university to produce the registrar’s report on the visit to Uttar Pradesh.