Odisha Vigilance has secured another major win in its anti-corruption campaign with the conviction of Mitrajit Barik, former Gram Panchayat Technical Assistant (GPTA) of Champua Block, Keonjhar district.
On Friday, the Special Judge (Vigilance), Keonjhar sentenced Barik to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 30,000, following his conviction under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for possessing disproportionate assets (DA).
This marks Barik’s second conviction — he was earlier nabbed in a trap case for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a contractor to process the final bill for a cement concrete road project. The trap, executed by Odisha Vigilance, led to comprehensive searches across properties linked to Barik, unveiling a trove of assets not matching his known sources of income.
Based on the findings, a DA case was promptly registered, and a report was submitted to the competent authority. Consequently, Barik was disengaged from government service as GPTA, effectively ending his tenure with the Panchayat administration.
Odisha Vigilance continues to step up its crackdown on public servants misusing their positions for personal gain — a move welcomed by civil society and governance reform advocates.
