After CBI summons in bribery case, senior Odisha IAS officer gets his transfer orders

Bishnupada Sethi has been posted as officer on special duty with the general administration and public grievance department.

Published on: Dec 17, 2024, 22:21:47 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Tuesday shunted out principal secretary of Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department Bishnupada Sethi and appointed him as an officer on special duty (OSD) after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned him as a witness in a bribery case.

Bishnupada Sethi is a 1995 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. (File Photo/odisha.gov.in/)

Apart from the social security department, Sethi previously also held additional charge of the departments of Odia Language, Literature & Culture department and ST&SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare department.

Sethi, a 1995 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been divested of his responsibilities with respect to these departments and will be OSD with the general administration and public grievance department.

His transfer orders come days after CBI arrested Chanchal Mukherjee, group general manager of Kolkata-based Bridge and Roof Company, a central public sector enterprise, on charges of taking a ₹10 lakh bribe from a real estate company promising them work orders.

Mukherjee was arrested in front of Mayfair Hotel in Bhubaneswar on Saturday evening after he allegedly received the money from the owner of a real estate firm.

CBI later summoned Sethi and told him to appear before the investigating officer at the agency’s Bhubaneswar office on December 11 but he was a no-show. He was subsequently told to appear before the agency by 12 noon on Wednesday.

“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.

CBI has already interrogated two drivers allegedly linked to Sethi and the general manager of the hotel where the bribes were allegedly paid.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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