Bhubaneswar, 16 July (H.S.): In a significant development in the ongoing crackdown on corruption, two revenue department officials have been convicted in a bribery case by the Hon’ble Special Judge, Vigilance, Bolangir.
The convicted officials Sri Bikash Bhoi, retired In-charge Head Clerk of the Office of the Tahasildar, Agalpur, and Sri Chandra Sekhar Patra, former Revenue Assistant at the same office and currently serving as Senior Revenue Assistant at the Panchayat Samiti Office in Gudvela — were found guilty of demanding and accepting bribe for processing and delivering the Record of Rights (RoR) in favour of a complainant.
The case, registered as Sambalpur Vigilance P.S. Case No.10 dated 03.06.2020, was investigated under Sections 7(a)/12 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Following a detailed trial, the Hon’ble Court sentenced each of the convicts to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a monetary fine.
Following the conviction, the Odisha Vigilance Directorate has announced its intent to initiate further disciplinary action. A proposal will be submitted to the competent authority to stop the pension benefits of Sri Bikash Bhoi and dismiss Sri Chandra Sekhar Patra from government service.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
