Cuttack: The Orissa High Court Monday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of suspended IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi, who has been booked by the CBI in a corruption case.
The HC had July 3 directed the CBI not to take any coercive action against Sethi till the next hearing.
“Considering that the Petitioner is a Senior Officer in the rank of Indian Administrative Service, this Court finds force in the submission of the learned counsel for the CBI that his interrogation being ‘ensconced’ by an order of anticipatory bail would be a fruitless exercise in the light of the materials unearthed,” a bench of Justice V Narasingh said.
“It is often said that 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. 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,” it said, rejecting the plea.
The interim order in the case, passed July 3, stands vacated, the HC said.
The CBI had in December seized Rs 10 lakh from one Debadatta Mohapatra, who had received the amount from the director of the Bridge and Roof Company, Chanchal Mukherjee, according to the CBI.
It is alleged that Mohapatra collected the amount on behalf of Sethi.
The company had won a bid to develop schools for SCs and STs in the state, at a cost of Rs 37 crore. Sethi was the secretary of the SC and ST Department at that time.
PTI
