The Gauhati High Court found former APSC chairman Rakesh Paul and 32 others guilty in the APSC Agriculture Development Officer or ADO recruitment scam, on Monday.
The scam, which surfaced in the selection process for ADO positions advertised in 2013, involved significant irregularities. Central to the scandal, Rakesh Paul oversaw the manipulations that led to undeserving candidates securing positions through bribery.
This ADO recruitment scam is a part of the broader APSC cash-for-job scandal, exposed in 2015-16. The scandal revealed widespread corruption where candidates paid bribes to officials to secure government jobs through tampered examinations.
After extensive investigations and legal proceedings, the court’s verdict marks a significant step in the case. While 32 individuals have been convicted, the court acquitted 10 others. The acquitted individuals are Vikas Pincha, Kunal Das, Kaushik Kalita, Musharaf Hussian, Beauty Gogoi, Feroz Maran, Jyotiban Dutta, Seiz Ali Zohri, Dritiman Roy, and Mausomi Saikia.
Details on the sentencing and its implications for the convicted individuals are still awaited.
