A special court here on Monday sentenced former Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul to 14 years in jail in connection with irregularities during the recruitment of agriculture development officers (ADO)s by the commission in 2015.

On the other hand, two former APSC members — Basanta Kumar Doley and Samedur Rahman — were sentenced to ten years in jail while 29 recruited ADOs handed a four-year jail term in the Bhangagarh P.S. Case No. 159/2017 u/s 120(B)/420/468 of IPC R/w Section 7/13(1) (a) (d) (III)/13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

An unsuccessful candidate had lodged a complaint with Bhangagarh PS in 2017 alleging tampering of marks in lieu of cash. The FIR in the case was registered on August 17, 2017. There were 43 accused in the case of whom 32 were convicted and 11 acquitted. An APSC member Binata Rynjha had turned approver and was pardoned.

The accused were convicted on July 22 but the sentence was announced by special judge Dipak Thakuria on Monday.

Though Paul had pleaded for leniency, the special judge in his order said he “deserves to be given the maximum punishment under the law, having orchestrated the entire series of illegal and corrupt acts involved in the instant case.”

He further observed that despite holding a constitutional post, Paul “failed to fulfil the expectation of the common people” and “under his leadership, undeserving candidates were selected for the posts of ADO and thereby depriving deserving meritorious candidates.”

The judge also observed Paul’s conduct during the trial “was also found not up to the mark” as “he tried his best to drag the court proceedings” by calling for “some non-existing documents from the Office of the APSC... but he did not rely on a single document”.

Paul was handed the maximum sentence of 14 years under section 31(2) (a) of the CrPC, the court order said.

“The period underwent during investigation and trial by the accused persons/convicts, if any, shall be set off as per law,” the judge said.

Paul has spent 5 years and seven months in jail during the trial. He was arrested on August 18, 2017, and got bail on May 28, 2023.

The Bhangagarh case is part of the wider APSC cash-for-job scam related to the appointment of APS and ACS officers from the 2013-14 batch. The APSC is the state version of the UPSC.

In his 285-page conviction order on July 22, judge Thakuria had said that under the Paul-headed commission, the “marks under the head of additional qualification and experience were also not given judiciously; but awarded whimsically" and the “entire interview process was a mockery....”