'Fight Against Injustice of APSC' Blasts AESRB Over Recruitment Scandal

The advocacy group Fight Against Injustice of APSC has issued a stern press release alleging serious corruption, irregularities and anomalies in the functioning of the Assam Engineering Services Recruitment Board (AESRB). According to the group, the Board created in 2021 with the promise of transparent and merit-based recruitment has instead become "a hub of corruption".

The press release states that the cut-off marks and written exam scores of the candidates were not published, while appointments were made within 48 hours of declaring the results. It further alleged that, many candidates without minimum educational qualifications have reportedly been selected for the Post of Lecturer.

Was Formed on Irregularities?

The group highlights that the very formation of the AESRB was irregular. The government appointed the Director of Technical Education (DTE) as Member Secretary of the Board, but the person appointed, namely Dhrubajyoti Bora did not meet the Assam Technical Services Rules, 1981 requirements for the post, which mandates a first-class Master's or Doctorate in Engineering and 15 years' of experience in teaching, administration, research or industry. Instead, a simple Arts graduate was entrusted with the responsibility of technical higher education, the group alleged.

Recruitment Process Under Scrunity

AESRB conducts Lecturer and Assistant Professor recruitment with a 75 mark OMR based written test and a 25 mark Teaching Proficiency Test (TPT). The group points out that there are no rules or guidelines for TPT evaluation, leaving selection to the discretion of Board members and creating a huge scope for corruption.

The advocacy group further claims that AESRB was created deliberately to reintroduce scope for corruption that had earlier been curtailed under APSC reforms, which had reduced viva-voce weightage to 12.2% of written marks.

The Case of Angelina Gogoi

A striking example cited is the case of Ms. Angelina Gogoi, who was initially selected as a Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at Barpeta Polytechnic despite completing her B. Tech after the submission deadline. Her appointment was later cancelled after complaints, but she reportedly got reselected the following year. The group also noted similar complaints regarding other candidates.

Allegations of Manipulation

Since July 2025, continuous complaints have been raised against AESRB recruitment under advertisements 03/2024 and 02/2024 in Polytechnics and Engineering Colleges.

Some of the major Allegations:

1. Wrong Questions and Answer Keys
2.  Non Disclosure of written exam marks
3. Cut off marks not published
4. Manipulation in TPT evaluation
5. Results declared and appointments made within 48 hours of exams
6. Bulk selection of candidates with consecutive roll numbers (Civil Engineering: 19/72; Mechanical: 12/42; Electrical: 6/15)

Call For Action

The advocacy group concludes that AESRB's current functioning is "the true face of recruitment under the so-called 'transparent' government" and demands immediate corrective measures from the Assam government to restore fairness and transparency.

ALSO READ: Aspirants Demand Answers, File RTI Over AESRB Recruitment