The Odisha Vigilance secured convictions in two separate cases today. Two revenue officials from Sundargarh district were sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment for bribery, while a retired senior clerk from Bargarh was convicted in a disproportionate assets case, facing two years in jail.
In the first case, Basanta Kumar Mishra, a retired Revenue Inspector (RI), and Sisir Kumar Behera, Assistant Revenue Inspector (ARI), both from Sole Revenue Circle under Gurundia Tahasil in Sundargarh, were found guilty of demanding and accepting bribes for issuing income and caste certificates. The Special Judge, Vigilance, Sundargarh, sentenced both to four years of rigorous imprisonment along with fines.
Following the verdict, the convicted officials were immediately sent to jail to serve their sentences. Odisha Vigilance has initiated steps to halt Mishra’s pension and seek Behera’s dismissal from service, given his current posting as ARI in Rajgangpur Tahasil, Sundargarh.
In a separate case, Trilochan Sahu, a retired Senior Clerk from Padampur Tahasil in Bargarh, was convicted for possessing disproportionate assets under Section 13(2) read with 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The Special Judge, Vigilance, Bargarh, sentenced Sahu to two years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine. Odisha Vigilance will also move to stop Sahu’s pension following his conviction.
These convictions underscore Odisha Vigilance’s relentless efforts to combat corruption within the state’s administrative machinery. The agency’s actions serve as a stern warning to public servants engaging in illicit activities, emphasising accountability and transparency in governance.
