Odisha prosecutor with a record for getting corrupt convicted sacked for bribery

Odisha’s special public prosecutor for Kalahandi was arrested on a charge of accepting a ₹1 lakh bribe.

Updated on: Jul 23, 2021, 23:37:09 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s anti-corruption department has sacked a special public prosecutor who was allegedly caught red-handed accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh earlier this month, a senior government official said on Friday.

Odisha’s director of vigilance YK Jethwa said the government has terminated the services of Ashutosh Mishra, special public prosecutor of a vigilance court in Kalahandi.

Jethwa said he was caught accepting a ₹1 lakh bribe from an assistant sub inspector of police who was chargesheeted in a corruption case.

Vigilance officials searched Ashutosh Mishra’s house in Bhawanipatna town of Kalahandi after his arrest and was found to own assets worth Rs. 85 lakh. He was later also charged with possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, the department said after his arrest on July 3.

This is the first case in Odisha vigilance in which a prosecutor was arrested for demanding money.

Mishra had served as a prosecutor in Kalahandi for nearly 11 years. Officials said Mishra had among the highest rate of convictions as a special public prosecutor over the past decade and had received many appreciation letters in this context.

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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