Taket Jerang, main accused in APPSC paper leak scam gets bail

Bail was granted by Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court as the chargesheet was not filed within the stipulated 90 days

Amid the protests and a former APPSC under secretary found dead, Taket Jerang, a former APPSC official and the main accused in the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission’s AE question paper leak case, has been granted bail in a case pertaining to all irregularities committed in the examinations conducted by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) since 2014.

Jerang was granted bail by the Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court as the investigating agency CBI failed to file the chargesheet within the stipulated 90 days of case filed.

Jerang, former APPSC deputy secretary and deputy controller of examination, is said to be the brain behind the racket. It is believed that the whole issue of leaking question papers or money for job scam started when he joined the special recruitment cell of the APPSC in July 2016. Jerang had joined the the commission in 1992 as an upper division clerk.

Jerang got bail on the day when Tumi Gangkak, suspended APPSC under secretary and assistant controller of examination was found hanging from a tree in Poma village of Arunachal Pradesh. The body has been sent to TRIHMS Naharlagun for post-mortem. Yesterday family members said that it was a murder and demanded that family members be allowed to be present during the post-mortem.

On February 17 the Pan Arunachal Joint Steering Committee had declared 12-hour Arunachal bandh to protest against the pace of investigation into the scam and the government’s lax attitude towards fulfilling the 13 demands of the APPSC aspirants. The PAJSC, supported by the public had taken out a rally that turned violent with police resorting to lathicharge, stone pelting and firing tear gas shells injuring at least 10 people.

Following this, Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu called the protestors for a meeting and agreed to implement the 13 demands including the demand to declare all APPSC conducted exams since 2014 be declared null and void.

The issue has been sent to APPSC for consideration and aggrieved officers under the banner of Joint Committee Against (JCA-Null & Void) have opposed this demand. The officers’ view is that considering the null and void demand is not justified as an investigation (CBI) is already going on and considering this demand would also effect the jobs and lives of hundreds of officers who had worked hard and cracked the exams with honesty.

The impasse over the APPSC scam continues.

Also Read: APPSC paper leak scam: Suspended APPSC under secy found hanging

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