Bishnupada Sethi, an IAS officer from the Odisha cadre (1995 batch), has been summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with a bribery case involving 10 lakh rupees. As per the news agency PTI report, the two drivers of the IAS officer appeared before the CBI at its Bhubaneswar office here and recorded their statements. The drivers were present inside the CBI officer for about three hours from 10.30 am on Saturday.
The investigating agency’s move is linked to the ongoing inquiry into a bribery case involving Chanchal Mukherjee, group general manager, Bridge and Roof Construction Company Ltd, Bhubaneswar and others. The CBI had arrested Mukherjee and two contractors, Santosh Maharana and Debadatta Mahapatra, from near a hotel in Bhubaneswar on December 6 in connection with the alleged bribery case.
Mukherjee was arrested for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from one of the contractors, while the other contractor was facilitating the exchange. The CBI said the money was taken for awarding work orders and clearing bills. The agency issued a notice to Sethi under Section 179 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita on December 10, requesting his presence at the agency’s Bhubaneswar office on December 11. However, Sethi failed to appear before the CBI.
As the officer did not turn up on the date, the agency asked the state government to provide a list and details of all drivers who worked under the IAS officer in the last six years.
In a letter to the IAS officer, CBI inspector Gurjinder Singh on December 10 said, “It is learnt that you are acquainted with some important and relevant facts and circumstances of the instant CBI case, which are required to be ascertained from you.”
According to the media reports, Sethi completed his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from NIT Rourkela and later earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Industrial Engineering from IIM Mumbai. After clearing the UPSC exam, he became an IAS officer. His initial posting was as an SDM, followed by several roles as a District Collector and District Magistrate in different districts.
Bishnupada Sethi further completed his executive courses from renowned institutions such as Cambridge University’s Judge Business School and Harvard Kennedy School. According to his LinkedIn profile, he holds a Ph.D. from Desh Bhagat University. At present, he is serving as the Principal Secretary of the SC & ST, Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department and the Odia Language, Literature & Culture Department in Odisha.
