Lokayukta Clean Chit To Bishnupada Sethi In OSCB Medical Bills Case

Bhubaneswar: The Lokayukta has absolved Principal Secretary Bishnupada Sethi from the allegation of wrongful reimbursement of medical bills during his tenure as Management-in-Charge of Odisha State Co-operative Bank (OSCB).

The Lokayukta has also appreciated the senior bureaucrat for returning the said amount of Rs 3.27 lakh to the bank.

In the order passed on Friday, the Lokayukta has also rejected another allegation that Sethi misused his office to receive bonus illegally from OSCB.

The Lokayukta has cited the findings of the Director of Inquiry appointed by it to go into details about these two allegations levelled against Sethi.

The Director of Inquiry observed that Sethi admitted to be management in-charge of OSCB from February 6, 2013 to July 28, 2015. Sethi has also admitted to have reimbursed Rs 3,27,000 on three occasions towards medical expenses for the treatment of his father Bhajahari Sethi and wife Vaisali Sethi.

Sethi has, however, denied availing medical expenses amounting to Rs 9,46,071.  The medical bills were in fact reimbursed to him from the fund of bank after permission from the State Government and he has filed certain documents in support of his this stand, the Director of Inquiry mentioned quoting Sethi.

Regarding the allegation of receiving bonus from OSCB, Sethi has stated that he is entitled for the same because he, as a Government servant, was engaged whole time in connection with the affairs of OSCB and Section 56 (2)(f) of Odisha State Cooperative Bank Act, 1962 permits such payment of bonus.”

Despite this finding of the Director of Inquiry in his favour, Sethi as a goodwill gesture has returned the entire amount of Rs 3,27,000 to OSCB on June 25 through three cheques, Lokayukta said in its order.

“The State Government may consider reimbursing the medical bills in question as per rules. Since Sethi has already returned the amount of medical reimbursement, we find no good ground to further dwell on the allegation of wrongful reimbursement of medical bills by him,” Lokayukta said in its order.