SIT Apprehends 34 Civil Servants in Connection to APSC Cash-for-Job Scam

A total of 34 civil servants have been apprehended in connection to the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) cash-for-job scam 2014, reports emerged on Wednesday.

As per information, the officers were nabbed from different locations on Tuesday night and brought to Guwahati by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was constituted to probe the scam.

According to reliable sources, two officers identified as Shahjahan Sarkar and Aishwarya Jeevan Baruah have been arrested.

The names of the civil servant 34 officers who have been nabbed were implicated in the inquiry report of Justice (retd) Biplab Kumar Sharma Commission.

Earlier this month, the Assam government has initiated departmental proceedings against 34 Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS) and other elite service officers selected by the APSC for 2013 batch.

The chief minister’s office (CMO) said the government swung into action based on the report, submitted before the state government and the subsequent directive from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

According to sources, the CCE 2013 report detailed the abnormalities and malpractices that occurred during the exam's execution. The incorrect selection technique of 34+3=37 candidates was expressly identified in the report.

Not only this, the Justice (Retired) Biplab Kumar Sharma Commission also voiced concerns in its report concerning the appointment of the then-APSC chairman, Rakesh Paul. The Commission recommended in its report that, if the government thought it appropriate given the widespread irregularities and malpractices in CCE 2013, it should scrap the selection of the entire CCE 2013 batch. The Commission had cited a Supreme Court decision in a similar case.

Also Read: APSC Recruitment Scam 2014: BK Sharma Commission Submits 380-Page Report to Assam Govt