CBI summons senior Odisha IAS officer in corruption case

The CBI sought senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi’s attendance at its Bhubaneswar office on December 11. However, Sethi did not appear before the agency

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned senior IAS officer and principal secretary in the SC/ST welfare and Odisha language department, Bishnupada Sethi, in connection with a corruption case.

Bishnupada Sethi IAS.

The agency issued the notice to Sethi under Section 179 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita on December 10, seeking his attendance at the CBI’s Bhubaneswar office on December 11. However, Sethi did not appear before the agency.

On Sunday, the CBI officials had arrested Chanchal Mukherjee, group general manager of Kolkata-based Bridge and Roof Company, a central public sector enterprises under the ministry of heavy industries that does engineering and construction work, on charges of taking ₹10 lakh bribe from a real estate company promising them work orders. Mukherjee was caught red-handed with the bribe money in front of Mayfair Hotel in Bhubaneswar on Saturday evening while the cash was being given to him by the owner of a real estate firm. Apart from Mukherjee, three others were arrested.

CBI officials said they had summoned Sethi as his name came up as an alleged beneficiary in the bribery case. “It is learnt that you are acquainted with some important and relevant facts and circumstances of the instant CBI case, which are required to be ascertained from you,” the CBI said in its letter.

The CBI also summoned three official drivers of Sethi on Saturday and interrogated them. The Odisha government recently assigned projects under the ST&SC Development department for upgradation of Ashram Schools to High Schools and High Schools to Higher Secondary Schools and others to some PSUs including Bridge and Roof Ltd.

The IAS officer did not take calls or messages seeking his reaction to the CBI summons.

Reacting to the summon issued to Sethi, law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said, “No corruption will be allowed. The policy of our government is zero tolerance against corruption. No matter how powerful a person is, strict action will be taken against whoever is involved in corruption- be it a minister or an officer. If there is any link, there will be an inquiry. Whoever is guilty after the investigation will be punished.”