Vigilance Probe Uncovers Fraudulent Use of PSTM Certificates in Tamil Nadu Civil Servant Appointments

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has initiated legal proceedings against four civil servants who allegedly secured positions through fraudulent use of reservations intended for Persons Studied Through Tamil Medium (PSTM). According to official sources, the appointments were obtained using counterfeit PSTM certificates from Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU).

An FIR lodged on October 3, 2024, identifies the implicated officials as S. Swapna, an Assistant Commissioner of State Taxes in Madurai; N.A. Chanheetha, a Personal Assistant to the District Collector in Coimbatore; K.C. Sathish Kumar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the Attur Sub-Division, Salem; and M. Kalaivani, a former DSP and currently a Revenue Divisional Officer in Kancheepuram.

Additionally, two former officials from MKU—R. Sathiamoorthi, who served as a Senior Superintendent, and K. Purushothaman, a Superintendent in the SC/ST Cell involved with the Directorate of Distance Education (DDE)—have also been charged. Three private sector individuals, including A. Murali from Life Educational Trust, R. Narayana Prabhu, a program officer from the same trust, and A. Rajendran, Coordinator at Sethupathi Institute of Higher Studies, Coimbatore, are implicated for cheating, forgery, and corruption-related offences.

The investigation originated in October 2020, when the Principal Secretary of the Department of Higher Education ordered an inquiry into allegations against the DDE of MKU. Following a public interest litigation, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed the DVAC to investigate claims of irregularities in MKU’s examination processes and certificate issuance, specifically for positions filled via the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission‘s (TNPSC) Civil Services Examination, Group-I.

M. Sathyaseelan, the Deputy Superintendent of Police with the DVAC, discovered that four civil servants—who claimed to have studied under MKU’s DDE—had illegally procured their PSTM certificates between 2012 and 2019. These certificates were reportedly unsupported by authentic admission records or fees, as the candidates allegedly completed their courses in unethical single sittings.

The investigation exposed the issuance of illegitimate PSTM certificates, with individuals reportedly allowed to complete exams for their entire courses in a single term, contravening usual academic mandates. MKU staff have been accused of falsifying academic records, thus enabling these irregularities. The case highlights serious flaws within MKU’s administrative practices relating to distance education and has significant implications for the integrity of public service recruitments in Tamil Nadu.