Gauhati HC rejects APSC chairman's bail plea

The Gauhati High Court today rejected the bail plea of arrested chairman of Assam Public Service Commission Rakesh Kumar Paul in connection with a bribery case.
Justice Rumi Kumari Phukan rejected the plea considering the nature of the allegations and ruled that the charges against the suspended head of the APSC needed to be properly investigated.
The court said the investigating agency needs to protect the interests of the society at large and so without forming any opinion on the merit of the case, it rejected the bail prayer.
The case was registered on August 17 at Bhangagarh police station here on a complaint by Bedanta Bikas Das, who had alleged that Paul had asked for Rs 15 lakh bribe for appointing him as an agriculture development officer, a post he had applied for in 2014.

The complaint had further claimed that he paid Rs 50,000 as advance.
Paul was arrested on November 4, 2016, for his alleged role in cash-for-job scam in the organisation.

He had earlier received bail from the Supreme Court for this corruption case registered at Dibrugarh police station.
In the last six days, the Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell has arrested 22 serving civil services officials in connection with the cash-for-job scam in APSC and is looking for three more officials, who are evading arrests.
The officers are accused of paying money for getting jobs in the elite service.