The Vigilance Directorate seems hell-bent on protecting a proven corrupt officer of the Odisha Small Industries Corporation (OSIC) and even ready to act as an abettor though gratification taken by him is well-established.
Sources said neither the anti-graft agency has filed an FIR against the culprit and the abettors under the provisions of IPC and PC Act, 1988, which is normally done in such cases.
This has been ascertained after the Chief Minister answered a star question by BJP MlA KV Singh Deo in the State Assembly on March 20, 2017.
Singh Deo had asked “Will the Chief Minister be pleased to State about the action taken report on the complaint of then MlA Niligiri to Director Vigilance vide letter on 1.12.12 with a request to investigate the illegal foreign visit of OSIC officer during Nov 2012. Has Vigilance filed any FIR against any person; if no why the Vigilance is protecting him for over four yearsIJ”
The Chief Minister in his reply stated that “During inquiry of the petition by the State Vigilance , it was ascertained that OSIC Joint Manager Commerce Bhagyadhar Brahma was granted six days casual leave from 19.11 2012 to 24.11 ,2012. Brahma accompanied a dealer Navayuga Structures to Vienna and Prague on a free foreign visit by Tata Steel limited. The leave application of Brahma was not sanctioned as per the circular issued by the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs.”
“The then OSIC Managing Director Suresh Chandra Suara had not obtained clearance from either from the police or the Vigilance in respect of Brahma’s visit. In the departmental proceedings initiated against the officer he was awarded with major punishment, e. i. he is not illegible for further promotion in OSIC and his one increment is stopped with cumulative effect and he should not be posted in Commercial Division during the remaining service period. The Government has not suffered any loss due to such acts of the above mentioned OSIC officials. As such no FIR has been filed against the officers in this regard,” replied the Chief Minister.
However, as per rule 48(1) of OSIC Employees Service Rule, 1979 major punishment are reduction to a lower post or grade on a fixed pay or time scale or to a lower scale, removal from service and dismissal.
From this it can be ascertained that CM mislead the august House and it was a revelation by the Vigilance that anti-graft agency does not file a case against a bribe taker if the Government does not suffer any loss. It seems that the Vigilance has different set of rules for different people.
Earlier on August 6, 2015, the Odisha lokayukta Abhijan, Cuttack had filed an FIR with the Vigilance SP with 20 annexures signed by six civil society activists. Now the question is what prevented the SP to check the correctness of the FIR whether the allegations were false and fabricated, who the officer’s mentors are, who managed to protect him for over four years and why the Government did not give a reply in the first three years and when at all it gave a reply it was a misleading one.