# Arlekar recommends removal of Kerala PSC chief Baiju to President 2026-10-25T10:11:23+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Former Kerala governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar recommended the removal of Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman M R Baiju in a letter to President Droupadi Murmu about a week before he was transferred to Tamil Nadu, sources told PTI. Officials described the move as rare and unprecedented in the state's history. Arlekar cited allegations of irregularities and an investigation into the statutory body's functioning, and also referred the matter to the Supreme Court. The development comes amid a Crime Branch probe into alleged PSC examination irregularities, which the Kerala High Court recently criticised as lacklustre. Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan termed the governor's move 'illegal' and 'unconstitutional', arguing that removal requires a Supreme Court inquiry under Article 317. Yuva Morcha welcomed the recommendation and said it is seeking an appointment with the President to raise concerns. ## Indian Opinion Analysis India Today and The Economic Times both report the same facts from PTI, but the critical framing comes entirely from Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan's statement, which The Economic Times carries in detail. India Today omits Vijayan's constitutional objections entirely, giving no counterweight to the removal recommendation. The Economic Times presents the story as a political clash: Arlekar's action versus Vijayan's charge that it is an abuse of power under Article 317. The balanced reading is that the removal is a first-of-its-kind gubernatorial move, but it faces a legal hurdle: no Supreme Court inquiry has been held. The next step is Yuva Morcha's planned delegation to the President. The Economic Times further quotes Vijayan arguing that the governor must act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers under Article 163 and had no independent authority. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 pro-government, 1 neutral - indiatoday.in (pro government) Omits opposition criticism, frames removal as justified by probe - economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Reports both Arlekar's recommendation and Vijayan's objections This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Droupadi Murmu, Kerala, Kerala Public Service Commission, M R Baiju, Pinarayi Vijayan, Rajendra Arlekar Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/arlekar-recommends-removal-of-kerala-psc-chief-baiju-to-president/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/arlekar-recommends-removal-of-kerala-psc-chief-baiju-to-president/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/