Bhubaneswar: A Special Vigilance Court in Dhenkanal convicted three persons, including former a IAS officer, in a corruption case involving misappropriation of government money.
The convicts have been identified as IAS Nityananda Mohanty, former Collector of Dhenkanal (Retired), Suryanarayan Das, former Project Director of DRDA, Dhenkanal (Retired), and Satyananda Balasamanta, then Transport Contractor.
The court sentenced each of them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of one year and imposed a fine. The three were chargesheeted by Odisha Vigilance under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Sections 468/471/420/120-B IPC for misappropriation of government money of approximately Rs 9 lakh.
According to Vigilance, Mohanty while serving as Collector, Dhenkanal during 2001-02 along with Das and Balasamanta caused pecuniary loss to the government exchequer. Mohanty had approved the higher rate placed by Das for transportation of rice and wheat from the FCI godown, Dhenkanal, to different Block and GP headquarters under labour intensive work.
Further, the approved rate for transportation prescribed by the Odisha Civil Supply Corporation, Dhenkanal was not adhered to by Mohanty and Das and higher rate was paid to the contractor by way of accepting hand quotations submitted by him violating government norms.
Odisha Vigilance said it will now move the competent authority for stoppage of pension of Nityananda Mohanty and Suryanarayan Das following their conviction.
