TV
The Supreme Court dismissed senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi’s anticipatory bail plea on Monday, clearing the way for a possible arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This comes after the Orissa High Court also rejected his earlier plea.
Also Read: Odisha IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi’s anticipatory bail plea rejected by Orissa High Court
The senior bureaucrat had approached the apex court to avoid arrest in connection with a bribery case linked to the Bridge and Roof Company Limited. In February, a CBI team raided his official quarters, suspecting involvement in a corrupt deal.
Sources suggest that the CBI has gathered substantial preliminary evidence, leading to the rejection of the bail plea.
A special eight-member CBI team had conducted simultaneous raids at IAS Sethy’s official residence and ancestral home. The raids were triggered by evidence of a bribery transaction reportedly taking place near a hotel in Bhubaneswar. During the operation, Rs 10 lakh in cash was seized from a car at the scene.
In connection with the high-profile case, CBI has already arrested Chanchal Mukherjee, General Manager of Bridge & Roof Company, along with Debadatta Mahapatra, owner of Aditya Dev Infratech Pvt Ltd, and Santosh Maharana, Director of Penta A Studio Pvt Ltd.
No comments were received from the senior IAS officer or CBI authorities in this regard.
Worth mentioning, the CBI had conducted an extensive search on the official residence of IAS officer Sethi in Bhubaneswar on February 18. The operation was part of an ongoing probe involving Sethi’s alleged link with the Bridge and Roof Company.
The eight-member team from New Delhi had arrived at Sethi’s official quarters at around 8.00 AM, initiating searches connected to the alleged irregularities linked to the Bridge and Roof Company. They also quizzed Sethi about the matter.
