Former Assam Public Service Commission chief, 31 others convicted in cash-for-jobs case

Guwahati, July 22 (IANS) A special court here on Monday convicted former Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) Chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul and 31 others in connection with a cash-for-jobs case related to the appointment of Agricultural Development Officers (ADO) in the state. Special Judge Dipankar Thakuria, who acquitted 11 others in connection with the case in 2017 for lack of evidence while one person turned approver, is likely to announce the quantum of the sentence of the convicted persons on Tuesday.Besides Paul, two other APSC members — Basanta Kumar Doley and Samedur Rahman – were also convicted while the fourth member turned approver.The case was registered at the Bhangagarh police station here under the Prevention of Corruption Act on August 17, 2017, following complaints regarding irregularities in the conduct of the ADO Examination by the APSC.Meanwhile, Paul, along with the other members and officials of the APSC, were arrested for a separate cash-for-jobs case related to the Combined Competitive Examinations (CCE) for the recruitment of civil, police and other service officials. Paul was arrested by Dibrugarh police in November 2016 and released on bail in March 2023.–IANSsc/vd