Bhubaneswar: A special vigilance court in Sundergarh today convicted a retired forest range officer and sentenced him to one year of rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Ashok Kumar Tripathy, Ex-Forest Range Officer of Bisra Range in Sundargarh district. The court directed him to undergo a further three months of rigorous imprisonment for the offence U/s 465/34 IPC in default of payment of fine.
The Court further sentenced him to undergo rigorous imprisonment for one year and fine of Rs.10,000/- and in default of payment of fine, to undergo further rigorous imprisonment for three months more for the offence U/s 471/34 IPC.
The Court also sentenced him to undergo rigorous imprisonment for two years and imposed a fine of Rs.10,000, and in default of payment of fine, he would undergo further rigorous imprisonment for three months more for the offence U/s 477-A/34 IPC.
The Court further sentenced him to undergo rigorous imprisonment for two years and fine of Rs.10,000. In default of payment of fine, he has to undergo further three months imprisonment for the offence U/s 193/34 IPC.
All the sentences are to run concurrently.
Tripathy was charge-sheeted by Odisha Vigilance under sections 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d)/7 PC Act, 1988/465/471/477-A/193/34 IPC for preparing false documents and using it by initiating a new Forest case to save the co-accused (now dead) from Vigilance trap case.
Odisha Vigilance will now move the competent authority for stoppage of pension of Tripathy following his conviction.