Bhubaneswar: A former Gram Panchayat Technical Assistant (GPTA) has been convicted and sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 30,000 for possessing disproportionate assets.
Mitrajit Barik, who served in Champua Block in Keonjhar district, was found guilty by the Special Vigilance Court in Keonjhar.
The conviction stems from a case registered under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for accumulating assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Earlier, Barik was also convicted in a trap case for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a contractor for preparing the final bill for a cement concrete road work.
Following the trap, searches were conducted by the Odisha Vigilance at places associated with Barik, which led to the discovery of disproportionate assets.
As a result, a report was sent to the competent authority, and Barik was subsequently disengaged from service.
