Cash-for-Jobs Case: Court Convicts Ex-APSC Chairman, 31 Ors

A special court on Monday convicted former Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul and 31 others in a cash-for-jobs case related to the appointment of agricultural development officers (ADO) in Assam.

Special Judge Dipankar Thakuria acquitted 11 others due to lack of evidence, while one person turned approver.

Paul, along with two other commission members, Basanta Kumar Doley and Samedur Rehman, and other officials and middlemen, were found guilty of tampering with the marks of candidates who had appeared for the ADO recruitment examination. The judge has yet to announce the sentences for the convicted individuals.

The case was initiated following a complaint from a candidate who failed to qualify for the job. The complaint alleged that another candidate’s marks had been increased in exchange for financial transactions. The complainant had previously filed an RTI request for information on changes in the tabulation of marks and based the complaint on the RTI report.

Paul and the other APSC members were also arrested in connection with another cash-for-jobs case related to the Combined Competitive Examinations (CCE) for the recruitment of civil, police, and other service officials. The APSC was embroiled in a major cash-for-jobs scam, with the Assam Police arresting nearly 70 people, including Paul and 57 civil service officials, since 2016.

Paul was arrested by Dibrugarh Police in November 2016 and released on bail in March 2023. The case related to the CCE is currently under investigation by a Special Investigative Team (SIT) on the directive of the Gauhati High Court.