Guwahati: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Assam government to investigate the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) scam has failed to complete its probe within the six-month deadline set by the Gauhati High Court.
The deadline expired on March 28, 2024. While the SIT arrested five officials and questioned a few others, the investigation appears to have stalled. Many accused officers reportedly remain uninvestigated.
The Assam government constituted the SIT on September 30, 2023, following a Gauhati High Court directive to submit a thorough report into the APSC scam within six months.
The SIT’s failure to complete the probe and file a chargesheet in court has raised concerns. The scam pertains to irregularities in the appointment process of the APSC during 2013 and 2014.
The Assam government, which had earlier appointed a judicial commission led by retired Justice Biplab Kumar Sharma to investigate the scam, has maintained silence on the SIT’s progress.
The SIT, led by Munna Prasad Gupta, ADGP, CID, Assam, questioned 25 officers suspected of securing APSC jobs through unfair means.
However, based on the commission’s findings, only five were arrested, but questions linger about why the SIT did not question several allegedly involved officers.
Justice (retd) Biplab Kumar Sharma Commission‘s report named 34 officers as guilty, but no action has been taken against the remaining officers.
The Assam government only suspended 21 officers including 11 APS officers, four civil service officers, and six allied service officers in December 2023, despite the commission’s findings against 34 officers.
There are allegations that influential circles within the government are obstructing the investigation. The silence of both the government on the matter further fuels these suspicions.
Rumors suggest that the government’s handling of the situation, including its silence and the limited progress made by the SIT, is a deliberate strategy.
Some believe the initial noise surrounding the probe was intended to appease public anger, and that the government now intends to shelve the investigation quietly.