Guwahati: The Special Judge’s Court has thrown a wrench into the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) recruitment scam probe, rejecting the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) report and ordering a re-inquiry.
The court also ordered the removal of the investigating officer, Pratik Thube, from the SIT.
This comes after a one-man commission headed by Justice (Retired) Biplab Kumar Sharma accused nearly 50 officers of securing jobs through unfair means in the 2013 and 2014 Combined Competitive Examinations (CEE) conducted by APSC.
The Sharma Commission report, kept pending by the Assam government for a significant period, ultimately led to the formation of the SIT.
However, the SIT’s investigation has raised serious concerns. Led by IPS officers M.P. Gupta, who also holds the charge of ADGP of CID, and Pratik Thube, the SIT reportedly questioned several accused officers but only arrested five.
Despite accusations by the Sharma Commission, a further 21 officers were merely suspended, while many others continued working.
While the SIT had questioned 25 officers suspected of securing APSC jobs unfairly, only five were arrested.
The controversy deepens with the SIT’s chargesheets. While initially filing charges against a handful of officers, a subsequent chargesheet included 18 others previously found guilty by the Sharma Commission.
Notably, the chargesheet allegedly omitted any mention of remaining accused officers, including APS officers Nabanita Sarma, Amit Raj Chodhury, Asheema Kalita, and Rituraj Doley, along with ACS officers Tridib Roy, Bikramdity Bora, Nandita Hazarika, and Jagadish Brahma.
This selective approach by the SIT has angered the Special Judge’s Court.
The court, suspecting the Home department’s attempt to shield some culprits, has rejected the SIT report and ordered a fresh investigation into all accused officers identified by the Sharma Commission.
The court has also reprimanded investigating officer Pratik Thube for the incomplete chargesheet.
The future course of action by the SIT remains unclear, with questions lingering about the Assam government’s motives in potentially protecting some individuals involved in the APSC scam.