GUWAHATI
The Gauhati High Court has asked the Finance Ministry and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to update it on the status of the investigation into a money laundering case involving the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC).
The order was issued by the Itanagar Bench of the High Court on August 1 based on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by rights activist Payi Gyadi. The Bench comprised Justices Nani Tagia and Mitali Thakuria.
The court noted that in its affidavit, the ED said it initiated an investigation after recording a case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, but the case number was not cited.
The court directed the Finance Ministry and the ED to file another affidavit within two weeks indicating the case number as well as the status of the investigation.
There have been allegations that members of the APPSC took ₹50 lakh or more per job by doctoring the selection process and selectively leaking question papers of examinations to recruit people in various posts under the Arunachal Pradesh government.
The irregularities came to light after one Gyamar Padung, who appeared in one of the examinations, filed a complaint at the Itanagar police station on August 29, 2022, saying he suspected that the question paper was leaked. A total of 46 government officials and 13 private individuals were subsequently arrested in connection with the malpractices conducted in the recruitment examinations since 2014.
The case was initially investigated by the police in the State’s capital Itanagar before being transferred to the State police’s Special Investigation Cell. On the State government’s recommendation, the Central Bureau of Investigation took up the case on October 27, 2022.
The ED stepped in on March 10.
‘Repeal law’
Mr. Gyadi also filed a PIL plea in the High Court seeking the repeal of the contentious Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 2014. The court issued a notice to the State government, asking it to respond.
“The State government has been misusing the law to suppress the voices of the people. The law is draconian in nature, illegal, unconstitutional, and arbitrary besides violating Article 22 of the Constitution of India,” he said.
Mr. Gyadi added that the law was misused to crack down on people who have been raising their voices against the State government over the APPSC cash-for-job scam.
