CBI Summons Senior IAS Officer Bishnupada Sethi in Bribery Case

Bhubaneswar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi in connection with a bribery case.

The CBI has issued the notice to Sethi under Section 179 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita on December 10, seeking his presence at the CBI’s Bhubaneswar office on December 11. However, Sethi did not appear before the investing agency, as per reports.

“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 wrote a letter to Sethi, who is the Principal Secretary in the Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department, Government of Odisha.

The summons followed the arrest of three persons on December 6 in Bhubaneswar over seizure of Rs 10 lakh.

The CBI officials had arrested Chanchal Mukherjee, Group General Manager of Bridge and Roof Construction Co (India) Ltd, a central public sector enterprises under the Ministry of Heavy Industries, contractor Santosh Maharana and super-class contractor Debdatta Mahapatra.

Mukherjee was caught red-handed with the bribe money near a hotel in Bhubaneswar on Saturday evening while the cash was being given to him by the contractor. The three are currently in remand for further interrogation by the CBI.

The CBI also summoned three official drivers of Sethi on Saturday and interrogated them.

Recently, the Odisha government assigned projects under the ST&SC Development department for upgradation of Ashram Schools to High Schools and High Schools to Higher Secondary Schools and others to some PSUs including Bridge and Roof Ltd.

Meanwhile, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said that the state government was aware of the CBI’s summon to the IAS officer.

The Minister said that no corruption will be allowed. The policy of the state government is zero tolerance against corruption, he added.