Fake report case: TNUSRB Member Secy shunted out

After being pulled up by the Madras High Court for submitting a report by a fake expert, the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) Member Secretary NK Senthamarai Kannan, an IG rank officer who was also functioning as the Controller of Examinations, was transferred by the State government on Wednesday.

The Home Department also appointed Vidya Jayant Kulkarni, IG, as the new Member Secretary.

The Madras High Court had earlier decided to monitor the investigation into the suo motu case taken by it relating to the TNUSRB submitting a report purportedly offered by an IIT professor while it was from a retired school Maths teacher from Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT-Madras campus. The court had also asked the Commissioner of Police to investigate senior officers, including Member Secretary of TNUSRB, if needed.

The report was submitted when the MHC had sought for an expert opinion from an IIT professor to decide on a case moved by a candidate challenging his rejection despite offering a right answer to a question. The court had also refused to drop the contempt proceedings against Senthamarai Kannan and asked the city police and TNUSRB to file further report on the matter on September 6, 2019.

The city police have arrested a consultant psychologist GV Kumar, who allegedly introduced Murthy, a retired schoolteacher, to TNUSRB officials as a retired IIT-M professor. Following this, the TNUSRB officials collected a report from him and submitted it to the court.

Meanwhile, the counsel appearing on behalf of psychologist GV Kumar alleged that certain documents were created by TNUSRB officials by obtaining signatures in blank papers and that the officials put antedate and filled the blank papers to suit their convenience.

Based on this, the Madras High Court directed the Commissioner of Police to investigate the matter and interrogate the higher officers, including the Member Secretary. He also made it clear that no leniency or misplaced sympathy shall be shown in respect of all the persons concerned in the matter of investigation, irrespective of their cadre, post or status.

All concerned must be examined, investigated and interrogated, wherever necessary for the purpose of digging out the truth behind the incidents, the court had observed.