Odisha: CBI Affidavit Links Senior IAS Officer To Rs 10 Lakh Bribery Case
The agency also alleged that one of the accused gifted expensive items,including a MacBook and a luxury watch, to the bureaucrat’s daughter.
Bhubaneswar: In an affidavit submitted before the High Court of Orissa, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has presented evidence linking senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi to an Rs 10 lakh bribery case involving a senior official of the Central public sector unit, Bridge and Roof Co. Ltd.
According to the affidavit, both Sethi and Chanchal Mukherjee, Group General Manager of Bridge and Roof, are implicated in the case. Sethi allegedly sought to facilitate a Rs 37 crore work contract of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SCST) department in favour of the PSU while serving as its secretary.
On Monday, the High Court rejected Sethi’s anticipatory bail plea, citing concerns over possible interference in the ongoing investigation.
The CBI investigation has so far revealed Sethi’s acquaintance with Mukherjee, who has already been arrested.
The agency also alleged that another accused, Debadatta Mahapatra — an aide of Chanchal Mukherjee, gifted expensive items — including a MacBook and a luxury watch — to Sethi’s daughter.
A crucial piece of evidence is a recorded phone conversation, purportedly between Sethi and Mahapatra, in which Sethi allegedly instructs that the bribe money be delivered. The audio clip, recovered from Mukherjee’s mobile phone, has been verified by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) as matching Sethi’s voice.
Investigators also seized Rs 10 lakh in cash, suspected to be the bribe amount, during a trap operation in Bhubaneswar. Just prior to the operation, Mukherjee had reportedly met Sethi.
Citing the senior bureaucrat’s potential to influence the investigation, the court denied him bail.
Earlier in February, CBI teams had raided Sethi’s government quarters and ancestral home in connection with the case. The investigation has so far led to the arrests of Chanchal Mukherjee, Debadatta Mahapatra (owner of Aditya Dev Infratech Pvt Ltd), and Santosh Maharana (Director of Penta A Studio Pvt Ltd), all accused of playing key roles in the bribery network.
