Bhubaneswar, September 18: In a significant ruling today, the Special Judge, Vigilance, Balasore convicted two retired Civil Supplies officers for their involvement in the large-scale misappropriation of rice intended for the Public Distribution System (PDS). Each of the former officials was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment (RI), along with a fine.
The convicted individuals are Jhasaketan Pradhan, the former Assistant Civil Supplies Officer in Balasore, and Bijay Kumar Nayak, the former Store-cum-Godown Assistant at the Rice Receiving Centre (RRC) in Balasore. The Odisha Vigilance had charge-sheeted both officers under various sections, including Sections 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Sections 409 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the charges, Pradhan and Nayak misused their official positions and were involved in a criminal conspiracy, resulting in the misappropriation of 1,266.26 quintals of PDS rice. Their actions led to a significant loss to the state government.
In the wake of their conviction, Odisha Vigilance has stated that it will seek action from the competent authority to stop the pension benefits of the convicted officials.
