Gauhati High Court on Wednesday quashed the reinstatement appeals of 49 appellants accused in the Assam Public Service Commission’s (APSC) cash-for-jobs scam.

These officials were discharged from service by the government following their arrest on charges of having secured their jobs through the APSC by paying bribes.

After two months of hearing, the court of Justice Manjit Bhuyan quashed their appeal.

They had challenged their discharge from service citing technical grounds like they were not given a reasonable opportunity of being heard, no disciplinary proceeding was drawn up before discharging them and they are yet to be proven guilty by the court.

“The court this morning dismissed all the petitions. The court also recalled all interim orders in favour of them,” said advocate Ranjeet Kumar Dev Choudhury who had assisted the government in the case.

The state government had engaged senior Supreme Court lawyer and former additional solicitor-general Maninder Singh to argue the case on its behalf in the high court. He was assisted by Choudhury, Nalin S. Kohli, additional advocate-general of Assam in the Supreme Court and a senior BJP leader, and others.

“The 49 accused said the state government did not follow the principle of natural justice while discharging them from jobs. The court said there can be some exception in principle of natural justice, which is applicable in this case,” Choudhury said.

Among the 49 accused who moved the high court, 29 are ACS, 11 APS and nine allied services officers.

Altogether 59 ACS, APS and allied services officers were arrested in the APSC cash-for-jobs scam.

All the accused petitioners are currently out on bail.