They--AKM Shahadat Hossain Mandal, M Anwarul Haq, Latifur Rahman, and M Fazlul Haq-- tendered their resignations to President Iajuddin Ahmed.

Earlier on Thursday, Ashraful Islam Chowdhury who was the head of the 27th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) exams, stood down mentioning the same reason.

PSC Chairman Saadat Hussain yesterday said the five have resigned on personal grounds. "One member resigned on Thursday and four today," he told the reporters.

The military-backed administration decided to reform the PSC, a quasi-judicial body mandated by the constitution to oversee recruitment, regularisation and promotion of the civil servants, following allegations of widespread irregularities in its functioning.

It cancelled the viva voce of the 27th BCS on May 30 and directed the PSC to hold the test afresh.

Earlier, former cabinet secretary Saadat Hussain took the helm of the commission on May 9, a day after expiry of ex-PSC boss Zinnatun Nesa Tahmida's tenure.

Mahfuzur Rahman, another member, resigned after he was declared a corrupt suspect by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on March 8.

Muhammad Ashraf, former additional secretary of Relief and Rehabilitation Department, M Abdur Rouf, ex-chief engineer of Roads and Highways, and Colonel Prof Mahmudur Rahman, former director of NIPSOM, still remain the commission members.

The vacant positions would be filled in a week, PSC sources said.

Meanwhile, Fair BCS Movement, a students' body launched following the allegations of irregularities in the BCS exams, yesterday urged the government to reconstitute the entire PSC including the three existing members and Secretary Abdus Sattar.

"We congratulate the caretaker government on the reform initiative. Muhammad Ashraf, M Abdur Rouf and Mahmudur Rahman and PSC Secretary Abdus Sattar should also be changed before the freshly scheduled viva voce of the 27th BCS examinations. They have been involved in the irregularities in all four exams during the BNP-Jamaat rule," Movement President Abu Tareq told The Daily Star.

BACKGROUND OF RESIGNEES
Prof Dr AKM Shahadat Hossain Mandal, former pro-vice chancellor of Rajshahi University (RU), was accused of graft in the controversial recruitment of 545 officials at the university. The BNP-led alliance government appointed him as a PSC member in June, 2005 after different national dailies had run reports on the RU recruitment anomalies.

Prof Dr M Anwarul Haq, former chairman of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, Barisal, was the first one to come from a non-government college. Despite lacking qualifications, he made it to the commission thanks to his strong connections with the then ruling four-party alliance, said a PSC director seeking anonymity.

Latifur Rahman was additional secretary of the prime minister's office and Prof Dr M Fazlul Haq was the principal of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) before joining the PSC, cashing in on their relations with the then alliance ministers, the director added.

Ashraful Islam Chowdhury was a teacher of the marketing department at Dhaka University.