Bhubaneswar: A Special Vigilance court in Bhubaneswar sentenced former OAS officer Bijay Chandra Mohapatra, who served as joint secretary in the Agriculture department, to three years of rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case.
Benudhar Mohanty, former private secretary to the Director, Water Resources department, was also awarded a similar jail term.
The duo was charged by Odisha Vigilance under Sections 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d)/ 7 of PC Act,1988, for demanding and taking bribe from a passport applicant for issuing verification certificate under Tatkal scheme.
The court also imposed penalties on the two convicts.
Following their conviction, Odisha Vigilance will now move the competent authority for stopping pension of Mohapatra and Mohanty, a release said.
THE VIGILANCE TRAP
In October 2011, the senior OAS, Bijay Chandra Mohapatra, of Agriculture department and Benudhar Mohanty of state Water Resources department were caught red-handed while accepting bribes of Rs 3,000 and Rs 1,000 from one Rangala Shankar Rao of Tripura Sundar Street in Parlakhemundi for issuing verification certificate for Tatkal passport in favour of his daughter-in-law.
They were apprehended by the Vigilance sleuths in the office chamber of Mohapatra.
Notably, an officer of or above the rank of joint secretary in the state government or an official of or above the rank of under secretary of central government needs to clear a VC for obtaining Tatkal passport.
