A Vigilance Special Judge Court on Tuesday convicted a Forest Ranger on corruption charges and sentenced him to undergo rigorous imprisonment (RI) of four years.
The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on him, and in the event of nonpayment of the fine; he shall undergo an additional RI of two months.
The court, also finding the official guilty under Section 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) of IPC, sentenced him to zzundergo RI of two years and slapped a fine of Rs 30,000, in default of nonpayment of the fine, to undergo RI for three more months.
The Vigilance case had been registered in 1996 against Forest Ranger Raj Kishore Panda, who was working in the Bhatlaida Kendu leaf Range in Jharsuguda district, for misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 2.21 lakh.
The case was under trial in the Sambalpur Special Vigilance Judge Court, which found the Government official guilty of all charges framed against him and ordered that both the sentences against him shall run concurrently.