In a significant development, Mr. Vinod Kumar (1989-batch IAS officer), the former managing director of the Orissa Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC), was convicted today of corruption. This marks his tenth conviction in corruption cases related to the rural housing development corporation.
The Special Judge, Vigilance Court in Bhubaneswar, found three individuals guilty in the case:
- Mr. Vinod Kumar;
- Mr. Purna Chandra Das, former Executive Director (Technical), ORHDC;
- Mr. Subhash Chandra Panda, State Coordinator of Bhubaneswar-based NGO AWARE.
The court sentenced each convict to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 25,000.
Case Background
The Odisha Vigilance had earlier charge-sheeted the trio for their involvement in:
- Illegal sanction and disbursement of loans based on fabricated documents.
- Failing to secure the loans appropriately, thereby causing undue official favour to Mr. Panda.
This conviction highlights the vigilance efforts against corruption and misuse of authority in public offices.
