The Odisha Vigilance wing secured convictions against two retired government officials in separate bribery cases on Friday. Both accused were found guilty of demanding and accepting bribes while discharging their official duties.
In the first case, Laxmi Narayan Putel, former Traffic Sub-Inspector, Sambalpur (Retired), was convicted by the Special Judge, Vigilance, Sambalpur. He was charge-sheeted under Section 13(2) read with 13(1)(d)/7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for demanding and taking a bribe of Rs 5,000 from an auto driver to release his seized auto-rickshaw and to refrain from initiating any case against him. The court sentenced him to undergo rigorous imprisonment for two years and imposed a fine. Following the conviction, Odisha Vigilance will move the competent authority for the stoppage of his pension.
The case was investigated by M.R. Panda, Ex-DSP, Vigilance, Sambalpur Division. The prosecution was conducted by Sobhan Anand Guru, Special Public Prosecutor, Debasis Das, Additional Public Prosecutor, and Sushree Sangita Mohanty, Assistant Public Prosecutor, Vigilance, Sambalpur.
In the second case, Amar Kumar Das, Ex-PIA-cum-JSCO (Jr. Soil Conservation Officer), Watershed Development Project, Narla, PS-Narla, District Kalahandi (Retired), was convicted by the Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhawanipatna. He was charge-sheeted under the same sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 6,865 from a member of the Watershed Development Team. The bribe was sought for forwarding the Utilisation Certificate of works executed under his supervision and for extending his service agreement. The court sentenced him to three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000. Odisha Vigilance will similarly initiate steps for stoppage of his pension.
This case was investigated by Jagannath Naik, Ex-DSP, Vigilance, Koraput Division, and the prosecution was led by Sudhir Kumar Panda and Imran Khan, Special Public Prosecutors, Vigilance, Bhawanipatna.
These convictions underscore the Odisha Vigilance Directorate’s continued commitment to rooting out corruption in government departments, especially involving retired officials who continue to draw pensions from the state exchequer.
