Cash-for-jobs scam: HC asks Assam to respond to ‘inaction’ charge

Guwahati: The Gauhati high court has issued a notice to the Assam government asking it to respond to a petition, in which the petitioners have alleged inaction on the part of the state government in undertaking any action on the report of the one-man inquiry commission for the alleged anomalies in the selection process of the civil service exams conducted by the Assam Public Service Commission in 2013.
The bench of Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Devashis Baruah was hearing a plea filed by Pritom Hazarika and Jon Jyoti Sarmah on June 2 seeking a direction to the state government to “promptly act upon on the Justice (Retd) BK Sharma commission inquiry report regarding the anomalies in the selection process in the 2013 APSC civil service exam.”
The commission submitted its inquiry report to the state government in April last year.
It is pertinent to mention that the APSC cash-for-jobs scam prime accused Rakesh Paul, the then chairperson of the commission, came out of jail in March after languishing behind the bars for more than six years.
He was accused of taking bribes for the civil service examination selections for the year 2013. In June 2021, the Special Judge’s Court framed charges against Paul under section 7 and 13 (b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act along with Section 420 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the case. He was arrested in 2016 in connection with the case.
Altogether 59 ACS and APS officers, along with Paul, were arrested in connection with the case. All the ACS and APS officers were discharged from service after their involvement in the cash-for-job scam came to the fore.