Bhubaneswar: A Special Vigilance Court in Bolangir on Wednesday sentenced two revenue officials—Bikash Bhoi, retired in-charge Head Clerk in the office of the Tahasildar, Agalpur, and Chandra Sekhar Patra, former Revenue Assistant at the same office—to three years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for accepting bribes in a land records case.
Both Bhoi and Patra were convicted under Sections 7(a)/12 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, for demanding and accepting illegal gratification from a complainant in exchange for processing and delivering the Record of Rights (RoR) in his favour.
At the time of sentencing, Patra was serving as Senior Revenue Assistant in the Panchayat Samiti Office at Gudvela in Bolangir district. The case, investigated and charge-sheeted by Odisha Vigilance, revealed that the two officials colluded to delay official work until a bribe was paid.
Following their conviction, Odisha Vigilance has initiated steps to seek withholding of Bhoi’s pension and termination of Patra’s service, subject to approval from the competent authorities.
The sentencing underscores the state’s continued efforts to crack down on corruption within the revenue administration, especially in matters involving land rights and public grievances.
