Odisha Court Sentences Govt Official and Wife in 14-Year-Old Corruption Case

A court In Odisha sentenced a government official and his wife to two years in prison in connection with a 14-year-old corruption case.

N Prakash Patra and his wife N Santoshini Patra were convicted in the corruption case and sentenced by the special vigilance court.

The couple was accused of amassing assets worth Rs 12.19 lakh during Prakash’s tenure as a junior clerk at the Patrapur community health center in Ganjam district approximately 14 years ago. Presently, he is posted at the Patrapur Sub-Divisional Hospital.

Special vigilance judge Arun Kumar Sahoo also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them. The judge stated that if they fail to pay the fine amount, they will serve an additional three months in prison, as per public prosecutor Surendra Panda.

The court convicted the couple after examining 25 witnesses and scrutinizing their properties discovered during raids at their residences, office quarter, and chamber, Panda said. The official was caught accepting a bribe, which led to the subsequent raids. The wife was arrested for allegedly abetting the offense committed by her husband.

In a separate corruption case, a vigilance court in Bhubaneswar sentenced Ludasini Nayak, a former welfare extension officer of Nuagaon block in Nayagarh district, to four years in jail. A fine of Rs 5,000 was also imposed on her, with the provision that failure to pay it would result in an additional two months of imprisonment. Nayak was additionally sentenced to three years in jail in another corruption case, with a similar fine imposed. The court ruled that both sentences would run concurrently.

In another case, a retired village-level worker (VLW) from Angul district, Sarbeswar Pani, received a three-year jail sentence. The special vigilance court in Angul imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on him, and in the event of non-payment, an additional two months of imprisonment would be served.

The State Vigilance Department stated its intention to take steps to dismiss Prakash and Ludasini from service and cease the pension of the retired VLW.