CBI summons senior IAS officer in connection with bribery case investigation

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned senior Odisha cadre IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi and his drivers for deposition as part of its investigation into an alleged bribery case, sources said on Saturday.

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."

Sethi was summoned to join the investigation at CBI's Bhubaneswar office on December 11, sources said, adding that the bureaucrat sought more time through his lawyers.

The senior IAS officer was not immediately available for comment.

As the officer did not turn up on the date, the agency has asked the state government to provide a list and details of all drivers who worked under the IAS officer in the last six years.

The investigating agency move is linked to the ongoing inquiry against 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 earlier this month in connection with the alleged bribery case.

Meanwhile, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said that the state government was aware of the CBI's summon to the IAS officer.

"The state government adopts the policy of zero tolerance towards corruption. If any link is established, strong action will be taken against the officer," the law minister said.