Guwahati: A report by the Justice (retd) BK Sharma inquiry committee has revealed that the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) was riddled with corruption during the 2013 and 2014 civil service exams, effectively becoming a “private guild” where jobs were sold.
The committee’s investigation into these exams, part of the larger ‘cash-for-job’ scam uncovered in 2016, concluded that the level of malpractice was shocking and beyond comprehension.
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The reports, tabled in the Assembly by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday, detail how the APSC’s integrity as a constitutional body was compromised.
While the report into the 2013 exam was submitted to the government by the panel on March 21, 2022, the second one into the 2014 exam was submitted on October 12, 2023.
The 2013 report stated that the APSC was reduced to an employment agency, trading jobs for money and other favors.
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It criticized the selection process, calling it a “mockery” and highlighting the questionable appointment and promotion of Rakesh Paul, the then-chairman, as a key factor enabling the corruption.
The 2014 report found similar irregularities, repeating that the APSC had become a “private guild” offering jobs for “extraneous consideration.”
The commission’s investigations, triggered by the 2016 scandal that led to the arrest of nearly 70 people, including Paul and numerous officials, uncovered evidence of widespread fraud.
“The kind of anomalies and malpractices, the commission has come across on scrutiny of evidence…has shocked its conscience,” it added.
The reports point to the involvement of “well-wishers, guardians and parents” of beneficiaries and raise concerns about the influence of “high dignitaries, including police personnel,” based on call records of those involved.
While the commission stopped short of directly accusing these individuals, it emphasized the suspicious timing of the calls.
A key concern highlighted in the reports is the continued presence of many illegally appointed officials in high positions within the administration.
The commission warned that this not only harms the administration and the public but also sends a damaging message that merit and performance are secondary.
“With their illegal presence in service, not only the administration and for that matter, the public will suffer, but it will carry a very wrong message towards compromising merit and performance of deserving candidates,” it added.
The committee urged the government to take “drastic measures” to restore public trust in the APSC.