Ex-SSA Official Gets 2-Year Jail Term In Graft Case In Odisha; NBW Against Another

Bhubaneswar: A Financial Consultant (FC) and a former Planning Coordinator of the office of Rayagada District Project Coordinator (DPC), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), were convicted by a special court on Saturday in a bribery case slapped by Odisha Vigilance.

The court of the special Vigilance Judge, Bhubaneswar convicted the two officials – FC Laxminarayan Satapathy and Jayanarayan Trailokya Nath, who has been disengaged from service. The two were earlier sheeted by the Vigilance.

The court convicted Jayanarayan Trailokya Nath for demanding and accepting bribe Rs 10,000/- as per the direction of Satapathy from a complainant for issue of cheques against two bills after execution of the work and for his EMD amount and TDS, a Vigilance release said.

The court sentenced Nath to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 3 years and 2 years U/s 7 and 13(2) PC Act, 1988 respectively and to pay fine of Rs 5,000/- on each count. In default of payment of fine, he is to undergo rigorous imprisonment for additional 3 months. Both the sentences are to run concurrently.

The other convict, Laxminarayan Satapathy remained absent during pronouncement of judgment for which NBW has been issued against him for his production before the court for hearing on sentence, it added.