Wife accuses IAS officer of 'moral turpitude'

Top Odisha IAS officer Taradatt’s wife Indulata Das on Tuesday knocked at the doors of the State Commission for Women (SCW) here reiterating her charges of “moral turpitude” against her husband.It is learnt that she had filed a case against her husband with the SCW some months back.“I had written to the commission earlier suspecting my husband is having an extramarital affair. If it’s proven, he should be punished; if it’s otherwise, that should also be proven. I hope to get justice,” Indulata Das said after meeting SCW Chairperson lopamudra Buxipatra.

“We have heard her grievances and will take appropriate steps in this matter,” Buxipatra reportedly said.Das, wife of the 1983-batch IAS officer, had also filed a written complaint with the Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell on December 5 last year alleging that her husband is subjecting her to mental and physical torture. She had also complained of a threat to her life and said she needs police security.

It may be recalled that the Opposition had created a furor in the State Assembly in March this year seeking a reply from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the issue.Congress MlA Tara Prasad Bahinipati had claimed that the senior IAS officer allegedly has an extramarital affair with a woman bureaucrat (in Delhi) against whom allegations of compromising national security have been levelled earlier.

Interestingly, a month after the allegations levelled by her wife, Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue, Taradatt, heading a taskforce to probe the irregularities in allotment of plots and houses under the discretionary quota, was shunted out to the Gopabandhu Academy of Administration, apart from holding the charge of KBK Chief Administrator.