Cadre without merit!41 officials appointed illegally through 30th, 31st BCS

In a glaring abuse of power during the previous Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, 41 individuals – none of whom were recommended by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) in the first place – were unlawfully appointed to cadre positions through the 30th and 31st Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) exams.

Among them, 18 women were appointed under the 30th BCS, while 23 others were added through the 31st BCS.

These appointments were made via separate gazette notifications issued months after the official cadre lists were published – effectively bypassing the merit-based selection process.

Senior government officials from the time are believed to have been involved in facilitating these illegal recruitments.

18 women appointed to cadre posts through 30th BCS without PSC recommendation

The original gazette for the 30th BCS, published on 17 May 2012, listed 2,262 individuals recommended for cadre positions. However, five months later, on 23 October 2012, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a separate gazette appointing 18 women to various cadre services, despite their names only appearing on the non-cadre list.

These women include Nasreen Akhter, Rubaiyat Ferdousi, Subarna Rani Saha and Parveen Sultana (administration cadre); Mst Sultana Razia and Shamima Nasrin (police); Papiya Monowara and Shormila Nazneen (audit and accounts); Hosne Ara Hasi and Mousumi Akhter (Ansar); Zubaida Khanom (customs and excise); Indrani Debnath, Saheda Hossain and Kazi Momtaz Begum (family planning); and Shameema Yeasmin Smriti, Umme Farhana Hossain Shimu, Shahida Monzuri and Zinat Arzu Mukta (information).

The gazette was signed by Abdus Sobhan Sikder, who was then the senior secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration.

23 appointed through 31st BCS in similar manner

Similarly, after the 31st BCS gazette was published on 27 December 2012 with 1,812 recommended candidates, another gazette followed more than six months later on 12 June 2013, appointing 23 individuals to cadre service, despite them being non-cadre.

These appointees include HM Salauddin Monzu, HM Sadik Tanveer, Saika Shahadat, AKM Hedaitul Islam, Sohel Rana, Mst Aktarunnesa, Supriya Chowdhury, Mohammad Rezaul Karim, Shirin Akhter, Mst Rownak Zahan and Mahfuza Sultana (administration cadre); Thandar Khairul Hasan, Mohammad Mozammel Hossain, Amreen Khairul, Md Shariful Alam, Mahbubul Haque Sajib and Sudeep Das (police); Md Saiful Islam, Mohammad Tarek Hawlader and Md Fazlur Rahman (economic cadre); Masum Billah (information); Mohammad Mizanur Rahman (family planning); and Md Rokibul Hafiz (tax).

Officials deny knowledge or justify the appointments

Attempts were made to contact many of the appointees for their comments. Some could not be reached, including Hosne Ara Hasi, Shamima Nasrin and Suborna Rani Saha, who did not respond to repeated phone calls. Others did respond but gave little explanation.

Rahima Akther, joint secretary at the Appointment, Promotion and Deputation Wing of the Ministry of Public Administration, said the ministry was unaware of any such irregularities.

HM Salauddin Monzu, now the chief executive officer at Chuadanga Zila Parishad, declined to speak, saying he was in a meeting and ending the call. He did not respond to further attempts to reach him.

AKM Hedaitul Islam, currently administrator of Gaibandha Municipality, insisted that his appointment followed proper procedures. While acknowledging that some individuals were included through a later gazette, he did not explain the rationale behind issuing a separate gazette in contradiction of PSC recommendations.

Umme Farhana Hossain Shimu, an assistant director at Bangladesh Betar, was candid. She confirmed that she was not listed as a cadre in the 30th BCS, but was later appointed through a separate gazette. She believes she was chosen based on merit despite not appearing in the original cadre list.

Experts, PSC and ministry officials declare the appointments illegal

Dr Mohammad Ayub Miah, a former secretary and now a member of both the Public Administration Reform Commission and the National Consensus Commission (NCC), stated that appointments must follow the PSC’s recommendations precisely.

"If a candidate is appointed directly to the cadre service from the non-cadre list, it constitutes a clear violation of the rules," he said.

Senior officials from both the Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Public Administration also have clearly stated that such appointments are not permissible. One PSC official said that appointing individuals from the non-cadre list to cadre posts through a later gazette is "absolutely illegal" and such appointments "should be cancelled."

Md Mansur Hossen, public relations officer at the Ministry of Public Administration, reiterated that there is no legal provision to transfer someone from the non-cadre list to the cadre list after the PSC has published its final recommendations.

Umme Asma Ayesha, a director at the PSC, confirmed this position, saying, “No one listed as non-cadre can be appointed to cadre service.”

Appointed officers later held key positions

Many of those who received these unauthorised appointments later held, or are still holding, key government positions. They were seen as being aligned with the Awami League and were frequently assigned to field-level administrative roles.

Saika Shahadat, for example, served as UNO of Pekua in Cox’s Bazar and is now a senior assistant chief at the Industry and Energy Division in the Planning Commission. She was accused of misappropriating 15 tonnes of relief rice during her tenure in Pekua.

When contacted, Saika Shahadat claimed she had been appointed as an English lecturer through the 30th BCS General Education cadre and dismissed the allegations, saying, “The allegation is not appropriate.”

However, records show that although she was initially listed as an English lecturer in the 30th BCS, she was later shifted to the non-cadre list in the 31st BCS before being appointed to the administration cadre outside PSC procedures.

Others include AKM Hedaitul Islam, who served as UNO of Tungipara; HM Salauddin Monzu, ADC (revenue) of Narayanganj; Mst Aktarunnesa, who became general secretary of the 31st BCS Cadre Association; Hosne Ara Hasi, now district commandant of Ansar & VDP in Habiganj; Shamima Nasrin, additional deputy police commissioner (City SB); Subarna Rani Saha, executive magistrate at Rajshahi WASA; and Indrani Debnath, assistant director at the Directorate General of Family Planning.

Similar pattern found in 29th BCS; ACC launches probe

Similar irregularities were uncovered in the 29th BCS – the first held after the Awami League assumed office in 2009.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has now opened an investigation into allegations that 21 non-cadre candidates from the 29th batch were illegally appointed to cadre service.