Interview| APSC scam: Assam govt’s zero tolerance claim rings hollow as scam accused remain free, says Manas Pratim Baruah

Manas Pratim Baruah has emerged as a prominent voice against irregularities within the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) examinations in recent years. Baruah, who initiated a petition in the Gauhati High Court for the publication of the judicial commission’s inquiry report, has been a steadfast advocate for transparency within the APSC.

As the administrator of the social media group "Fight Against Injustice of APSC," Baruah and his team have been relentless in highlighting the irregularities within the APSC and other recruitment exams. In this exclusive interview with Mahesh Deka, Executive Editor of Northeast Now, Baruah speaks about the lack of transparency in APSC exams, government’s selective action against corruption, and his ongoing fight for a fair recruitment process.

Northeast Now: The Assam government claims reforms in APSC, yet allegations persist. How true is this?

Manas Pratim Baruah: While the recruitment process might be cleaner than during the tenure of the previous APSC chairman Rakesh Paul, there's a glaring absence of transparency. The last three years have witnessed the APSC conducting exams shrouded in the most secrecy compared to any other time in Assam's history. During Paul's tenure, RTI requests yielded answer scripts, exposing irregularities. Now, APSC cites a Supreme Court judgment (Anges Kumar vs UPSC) to deny answer scripts. While UPSC uses scaling, Assam shouldn't blindly follow that. The Assam CM himself advocated for full RTI disclosure, yet candidates don't receive answer scripts. This government's exams have been the most opaque.

The government claims zero tolerance for corruption, but critics say action is selective. Your thoughts?

This claim of zero tolerance rings hollow when we see numerous accused individuals from the recent scam walking free. In Jalukbari, candidates exceeding the age of 50 years was selected, and no investigation was ever conducted. The situation is even more troubling when we consider the findings of the Judicial Commission's enquiry report submitted in April 2022. The report identified 37 individuals as being involved in the scam. However, the government's response has been nothing short of apathetic. Not only were no actions taken against several accused officers, but some were even promoted. This lack of accountability extends to other areas as well. A senior police officer posted in Cachar district linked to the Guwahati fake call center case faced no action. These instances expose the government's lack of genuine commitment to tackling corruption within the APSC.

You're fighting a court case against the APSC scam. Are you satisfied with the current investigation?

The investigation into the APSC scam has unfortunately become stagnant due to the government's lack of sincerity. The initial investigating officer, Surajit Singh Paneswar, after certain point of time failed to make any significant headway because he lacked the necessary approvals from higher authorities. This lack of support essentially stalled the investigation. Now, it seems the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is following a similar path. They arrested two officers in November last year, whose suspicious provident reports from 2017 were ignored. Why weren't Akashi Duwarah and Pushkal Gogoi, named in Paneswar's last charge sheet, investigated for last six years? An accused IPS officer was conveniently sent on deputation, and another, Nabanita Sarma, faced no action. The government suspended some, but many continue to work, promoted despite accusations.

What reforms do you suggest for the APSC?

Transparency is the cornerstone of any fair and credible recruitment process. The APSC urgently needs to implement measures that ensure transparency throughout the entire examination process. A crucial first step would be to establish a proper selection process for the APSC chairman and members. Perhaps a high-powered committee could be formed to oversee this selection and ensure that only individuals with impeccable records are chosen. Secondly, the APSC's current practice of denying RTI requests for answer scripts or other exam information needs to be addressed. Detailed information about exam results should also be readily available to the public, possibly uploaded onto the APSC's website for easy access.

What's the status of your petition in Gauhati HC regarding the APSC scam?

We initially filed a writ petition urging the court to make the Justice BK Sarma Commission's enquiry report public. A separate PIL followed, urging the court to direct action against those named in the report. The government filed an affidavit but offered no reason for withholding the report. The matter awaits its next hearing.