Dhenkanal, Sep 3: In a significant development in a corruption case, the Special Vigilance Judge, Dhenkanal today convicted three accused persons, including a former IAS officer, in a case relating to the alleged misappropriation of government funds amounting to approximately ₹9 lakh.
The convicted persons are Nityananda Mohanty, former Collector of Dhenkanal (Retired); Suryanarayan Das, former Project Director (PD), District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), Dhenkanal (Retired); and Satyananda Balasamanta, then a transport contractor.
The Special Vigilance Court convicted all three accused and sentenced each of them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for one year and to pay a fine.
The three accused had been charge-sheeted by Odisha Vigilance under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, along with Sections 468, 471, 420 and 120-B of the IPC, in connection with the alleged misappropriation of government money.
According to the case details, Nityananda Mohanty was serving as Collector, Dhenkanal, during 2001-02, while Suryanarayan Das was serving as Project Director, DRDA. Satyananda Balasamanta was then engaged as a transport contractor.
The prosecution case was that the accused persons caused pecuniary loss to the government exchequer by violating prescribed norms relating to the transportation of rice and wheat.
During his tenure as Collector, Mohanty allegedly approved a higher transportation rate proposed by Das for transporting rice and wheat from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown at Dhenkanal to various Block and Gram Panchayat headquarters under labour-intensive work.
The approved rate prescribed by the Odisha Civil Supplies Corporation, Dhenkanal, was allegedly not adhered to while transporting the foodgrains. Instead, higher rates were paid to the contractor on the basis of hand quotations submitted by him, allegedly in violation of government norms.
The Vigilance investigation alleged that these actions resulted in financial loss to the government exchequer of approximately ₹9 lakh.
Following the conviction, Odisha Vigilance is now set to move the competent authority for stoppage of pension of Nityananda Mohanty, and Suryanarayan Das.
