BJP Demands Immediate Suspension Of Odisha Vigilance Director

25 June, Bhubaneswar

Odisha BJP Political and Planning Implementation Committee chairman Bijay Mohapatra Thursday demanded State Vigilance Director’s immediate suspension following the observation made by Odisha High Court against him while adjudicating a vigilance case against former Odisha DGP Prakash Mishra.

The court in its remark said the entire action of the vigilance authority smacks of arbitrary and malafide exercise of power with the motive to harass the petitioner and damage his reputation.

The court said the Director, Vigilance, to whom the file was marked by the chief minister to conduct an inquiry has abdicated his duty and responsibility by displaying indifference and allowing the Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Cell, Cuttack, to deal with the matter and entrust the enquiry to an officer of the rank of DSP in spite of the fact that the enquiry was being conducted against the former DGP of the state, one of the senior most IPS officers of repute in the country.

The court said ”the Action or rather the willful inaction of the Director Vigilance in not ensuring free, fair and proper inquiry into the matter and allowing the report of a sham enquiry to be accepted and giving his consent for seeking approval of the state government for registration of criminal case against the petitioner clearly shows that he was more concerned in exhibiting his loyalty to the ruling political establishment akin to the old British adage of ‘more loyal than the king’.

Mohapatra said the remark made against the Vigilance Director was aimed at the Chief Minister and exposed the government. The Chief Minister who always claimed his government to be free, fair and transparent was proved to be false, he said.

The Vigilance in its FIR had alleged that Mishra had shown undue favours to some suppliers in 2006 and caused pecunary loss to the state exchequer when he was the Chairman of the Odisha Police Housing Corporation.

Mishra had moved the High Court to quash the FIR alleging that the case was filed against him with a malafide intention to prevent him from becoming the CBI Director