Assam: SIT to probe APSC cash for job scam, Govt tells Gauhati High Court  

Guwahati: The Assam government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) cash for job scam.

Assam Additional Advocate General Nalin S. Kohli informed this to Gauhati High Court on Friday.

Kohli informed the high court that the SIT was formed following the directive of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The committee is headed by ADGP Munna Prasad Gupta. The six-member team also comprises Guwahati Joint Commissioner of Police Thube Prateek Vijay Kumar, two officers of DSP rank and two inspectors.

APS officer Surjeet Singh Panesar, who was heading the probe, has been excluded from the SIT.

The Gauhati High Court has issued directives to the SIT, mandating the submission of a comprehensive report on the matter within a stipulated timeframe of six weeks.

The Assam government in May last year constituted a committee to decide on the action to be taken in connection with the inquiry report submitted by Justice (Retired) Biplab Kr Sarma relating to the conduct of civil service examinations 2012 (CCE-2013).

The Justice (retired) Biplab Kumar Sharma Commission, which was formed following directions from Gauhati High Court, had submitted its report in April last year on the anomalies in CCE-2013.

Though the report is yet to be made public, the commission’s findings are stated to detail irregularities in the answer sheets of many candidates who were declared successful, allegedly in lieu of cash.

The Assam government set up a five-member panel to examine the report of the inquiry commission regarding malpractices in the conduct of CCE-2013 by APSC.

The panel was asked to examine the inquiry commission report and suggest whether the entire results of the CCE-2013 be set aside and in case such a recommendation is made, whether the candidates would be entitled to notice and consequential hearings following the basic principles of natural justice.

The APSC cash-for-job scam came to light in 2016 when several successful candidates including Assam Civil Service (ACS) and Assam Police Service (APS) officers who appeared in CCE, 2013 were alleged to have indulged in misconduct allegedly in collusion with the then APSC chairman Rakesh Paul.

Following the revelations, police arrested 60 serving ACS & APS officers from the CCE, 2013 batch.

After the detection of anomalies, 39 officers were also dismissed.

The terminated officers as well as Rakesh Paul, who were arrested in 2016, are now out on bail.