Arrested IAS Dhiman Chakma moves Orissa High Court seeking bail in Rs 10 lakh ‘bribery case’

Suspended IAS officer Dhiman Chakma, who was arrested by Odisha Vigilance on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a local businessman, has moved the Orissa High Court seeking bail. The development comes after the Bhawanipatna Vigilance Court rejected his bail plea earlier this month.

Chakma, a 2021-batch IAS officer, was posted as the Sub-Collector of Dharmagarh in Kalahandi district when he was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting the first installment of Rs 10 lakh bribe. He is alleged to have demanded a Rs 20 lakh bribe.

The arrest took place at his official residence, triggering swift administrative action. Following his arrest, the General Administration Department of the Odisha Government suspended Chakma from service.

In the course of the investigation, Odisha Vigilance conducted simultaneous raids at locations linked to Chakma, not just in Odisha but also in Tripura and Himachal Pradesh. Multiple documents, digital devices, and financial records were seized for examination.

Chakma had taken charge as Dharmagarh Sub-Collector in January 2024 and was considered one of the young faces in the state bureaucracy. However, his arrest marked one of the most high-profile corruption cases involving a serving IAS officer in Odisha in recent years.

The case is now under the scrutiny of the Orissa High Court, where Chakma has sought relief, even as the Vigilance probe continues to unravel more details about his alleged links and assets.