Assam Public Service Commission faces mounting criticism as abrupt merit list cancellation raises questions about transparency and fairness, threatening aspirants’ trust in the recruitment system.
Guwahati: The Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) has once again come under intense scrutiny after it withdrew the results of the CCE 2024 mere hours following their announcement on February 16, 2026. Citing an “inadvertent error” in the select list.
In a notification issued by the Principal Controller of Examinations, the Commission stated that the result uploaded under letter No. 460PSC/CON/Exam-37/2024-2025, dated February 16, 2026, stands cancelled with immediate effect and assured that a fresh select list would be uploaded shortly.
The move came after the Commission had announced that 288 candidates were recommended for appointment to the Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS), and other allied services. The APSC had earlier highlighted that the entire recruitment process, from the Preliminary Examination in June 2025 to the interview stage held between January 20 and February 9, 2026, was completed in a record eight months.
According to official figures, 41,612 candidates appeared for the Preliminary Examination, 3,243 qualified for the Main (Written) Exam, and 879 were shortlisted for interviews.
This recent controversy also casts a shadow against the backdrop of the 2013 CCE scandal, one of Assam’s most notorious recruitment controversies. In that case, a whistleblower forum, the Fight Against Injustice of APSC, petitioned the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to broaden its investigation into the cash-for-job scam, alleging that many beneficiaries and perpetrators continued to occupy high-ranking administrative positions while escaping scrutiny.
The allegations included missing answer scripts, nepotistic appointments, and irregular selections involving family members and spouses, with several officers later facing legal issues for extortion, bribery, and appointment irregularities. Despite the findings of the Justice (Retd.) B.K. The Sharma Inquiry Commission calls for a thorough investigation, emphasising the long-standing concerns over transparency and meritocracy within the APSC.
As Assam navigates this overlapping crisis of historical scandals and recent administrative errors, the integrity of the civil service recruitment process remains in question. The recent cancellation of the CCE 2024 results serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing the APSC and the urgent need for institutional reliability in one of Assam’s most important governance bodies.
Also Read: India to Welcome Global Icon Kanye West for First-Ever Live Concert in India on March 29
