A special court in Guwahati handed former chairman of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC), Rakesh Kumar Paul, a 14-year imprisonment sentence for his involvement in a cash for jobs scam related to the recruitment of agriculture development officers in 2015. Two other former members of the commission, Samedur Rahman and Basanta Kumar Doley, were also sentenced to 10 years in prison in the same case. The court’s decision, delivered on July 22, also resulted in 29 other candidates receiving four-year prison terms.
The court emphasized the seriousness of the corruption in recruitment processes, referring to the orchestrators as the “masterminds” of the scam that operated like termites, undermining the integrity of the system. Paul, who had already spent five and a half years in jail, was granted bail last year in March.
The controversy surrounding Paul’s tenure arose when a candidate accused him and others of demanding a bribe of Rs 15 lakh in exchange for clearing an interview. Subsequent investigations revealed discrepancies in exam results, with 27 candidates having their marks increased through unauthorized means. The judge’s ruling highlighted the APSC’s violation of recruitment rules and their arbitrary decision-making process in selecting candidates.
The entire scandal unfolded in 2017, unearthing a web of corruption within the recruitment process led by Rakesh Kumar Paul and his associates. The court’s sentencing serves as a warning to others involved in such fraudulent activities and aims to deter similar misconduct in the future.
Article Published on 30 July 2024, 03:53 IST
