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Assam forms panel to decide action on irregularities in state civil service exam
The Assam cash-for-job scam came to light in 2016 when many successful candidates who appeared in CCE 2013 were alleged to have indulged in irregular practices in cahoots with the then APSC chairman Rakesh Paul.
GUWAHATI: The Assam cabinet on Monday approved formation of a high-level committee to decide on actions to be taken with regards to irregularities committed in state civil service exams conducted by the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) in the year 2013.
The APSC cash-for-job scam came to light in 2016 when many successful candidates including Assam Civil Service (ACS) and Assam Police Service (APS) officers who appeared in CCE 2013, results of which were declared in May, 2015, were alleged to have indulged in irregular practices in cahoots with the then APSC chairman Rakesh Paul. Following the revelations, police lodged several cases and arrested 60 serving officers from the CCE 2013 batch. After detection of anomalies, 39 officers were terminated from service. While the terminated officers are out on bail, Rakesh Paul, who was arrested in 2016, is still in prison.
Monday’s cabinet decision has come after the submission of a 700-page report by the Justice (retired) Biplab Kumar Sharma commission earlier this month on anomalies in CCE 2013.
The commission was formed by the state government following directions by the Gauhati high court. Though the report is yet to be made public, the commission’s findings are stated to detail irregularities in answer sheets of many candidates who were declared successful allegedly in lieu of cash.
“The cabinet noted that apart from 39 candidates who were already debarred from service, the commission examined another 84 candidates and found anomalies of various nature,” parliamentary affairs minister Pijush Hazarika said, adding that the report questioned the entire recruitment process.
“Needless to say when the credibility of the entire CCE 2013 stands vitiated by systematic irregularities, the issue is then not just about to seeking to identify only those candidates who are tainted. The commission said it is for the government to decide on what action needs to be taken,” he added.
Hazarika mentioned that the commission’s report will be forwarded to a new committee comprising chief secretary Jishnu Barua, additional chief secretary Paban Borthakur, director general of police (DGP) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta and principal secretary (personnel) Niraj Verma. The committee will submit its report within two months after its constitution.
“The committee will decide whether the entire results of CCE 2013 be set aside. In view of different nature of omissions ranging from increase of marks, changes of answer scripts to complete absence of answer scripts, which have come to light, the committee will decide whether the action would be uniform or graded depending on the nature of irregularity,” he said.
Hazarika said the cabinet also decided to form a separate commission of inquiry within a fortnight under a retired high court judge to probe alleged irregularities in CCE 2014.
