Orissa HC rejects IAS officer’s anticipatory bail in bribery case

The Orissa High Court on Monday rejected the anticipatory bail application by senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi seeking relief from coercive action by CBI in connection with the bureaucrat’s alleged involvement in Bridge and Roof Corporation bribery case, observing that “power of corruption is like a shadow, it follows those who wield power”.

A Group General Manager of central government undertaking Chanchal Mukherjee, was earlier arrested by CBI along with two others for allegedly accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe.

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The probe agency submitted that the bribe was related to awarding contracts and clearing bills and senior bureaucrat Sethi was in complicity with the crime under prevention of corruption act.

CBI’s counsel submitted that there is prima facie material to indicate that the petitioner (Sethi) has actively participated in the alleged crime.

This Court cannot lose sight of the fact that the Petitioner in this case is a highly ranked officer of Indian Administrative Service and was well aware of his Constitutional Rights, the Single Bench of High Court Justice V. Narasingh stated in an order.

There is no dispute that Sethi had volunteered to give the voice sample which allegedly matched with the voice in the call received by the middleman Debadutta Mohapatra (one of the arrested accused), from whose vehicle the alleged money given as bribe was recovered.

“It is often said that the power of corruption is like a shadow, it follows those who wield power. The petitioner undoubtedly has the power being a senior official of the Indian Administrative Service”, the Single Bench of High Court Justice V. Narasingh observed while rejecting Sethi’s anticipatory bail application

On a conspectus of materials on record, whether corruption is his shadow merits probe unhindered and unimpeded by the exceptional remedy of pre-arrest bail, the Court further stated in an order.

The petitioner’s prayer for pre-arrest bail ought not to be considered as this Court expressing any opinion regarding complicity of the Petitioner which has to be probed independently, the order concluded.

Sethi had reportedly awarded the contract to public sector undertaking (PSU) for projects for up-gradation of Ashram (residential) Schools to High Schools and had allegedly shown undue favour to it.

The Bridge and Roof Corporation bribery case involved the arrest of a Group General Manager, Chanchal Mukherjee, and two others by the CBI for allegedly accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe. The bribe was reportedly given in exchange for awarding work orders and clearing bills.