The Odisha Vigilance has secured the conviction of Kunja Bihari Jena, a former Junior Clerk-cum-Bench Clerk previously attached to the Revenue Officer in the Office of the Sub-Collector, Panposh, Raurkela.
The verdict was handed down on September 29, 2026, by the Hon’ble Special Judge, Vigilance, Sundaragada. Jena, who has since retired, was convicted under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d) and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The court sentenced him to undergo one year of rigorous imprisonment alongside a financial penalty.
The case dates back to an investigation where Jena was caught demanding and accepting illegal gratification from a complainant. The bribe was solicited merely to intimate the next scheduled date of hearing in an ongoing land dispute case and to extend administrative favour in the matter.
Following the court’s landmark judgment, Odisha Vigilance officials confirmed that steps are immediately underway to intimate the competent authority to initiate the formal stoppage of Jena’s retirement pension, reinforcing a zero-tolerance policy against corruption regardless of an official’s service status.
