Arunachal: Officers oppose government’s handing over of ‘null and void’ decision to APPSC

As a result of the state government delegating to the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) the responsibility of declaring null and void any APPSC exams from 2014 to 2022 in which malpractices are discovered, a gloomy atmosphere has enveloped the employees of the APPSC.

The state government stated that the "null and void matter has been sent to the APPSC, which is the competent authority to decide" in an official statement on February 18, just hours after a lengthy discussion with the members of the Pan Arunachal Joint Steering Committee (PAJSC) regarding its 13 demands.

As a result, the government has given the commission the task of deciding what will happen to the 966 officers who have broken the scam-ridden APPSCCE since 2014. The officers' futures are in doubt as a result of the decision, which has caused shock waves.

The members of the Joint Committee Against Null & Void Demand, representing the Government employees of the 11 (eleven) batches have urged the state government to carry out a fair investigation into the incident that rocked the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

In a letter addressing to the Chief Secretary, the Joint Committee mentioned, “We remain acutely aware of our responsibility to serve the people and the state as government employees and even when the demands for "null and void" came to fore and gradually gained momentum fuelled by the social media campaign of PAJSC, we reposed complete faith and confidence on the wisdom of the Government. However, leveraging public support through their media campaign, and exploiting various circumstantial compulsions, in the meeting held on the 18th of Feb 2023, the PAJSC, various other groups and individuals have succeeded in making the government take all of their 13 point charter of demands into advisement”.

The letter further stated, “Our intention through this representation is to secure indemnity for the innocent government employees/officers who have been recruited by virtue of their hard-work and competence. It is our ardent request that the Government should not be swayed by the tide of overwhelming public opinion and deprive us of our Fundamental Rights or go against the Rules of Natural Justice”.

Fearing of losing jobs, the members of the Joint Committee urged the government to re-think over its decision. “It is a known fact that, should our appointments be annulled, we stand to lose a lot overnight. Our dependants will suffer and our sincere hard-work rescinded. All these facts notwithstanding, we are not asking the Government to overlook malpractices nor that the guilty be left unpunished. We will be punished in gross violation of law and it would be violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of India”, stated the letter.

It is reported that the affected officers posted across the state are reportedly grouping up in Itanagar to discuss the legalities to defend themselves and have thus formed a committee to fight against the decision of the government.

Also read : Arunachal: Government leaves fate of 966 officers in limbo following APPSC scam revelations