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Bhubaneswar: Even as Opposition BJP and Congress have intensified their attack on BJD in the much hyped fake gazette notification scam, trouble has mounted for the prime accused in the case Dr Motilal Gouda, who may face police action any moment now after the Orissa High Court today turned down his petition seeking anticipatory bail.
Intensifying its agitation against the ruling party in the case, the students' wing of the Congress today took out a motoryccle rally in the State capital and set afire the effigies of minister Arun Sahoo, MLAs Byomakesh Ray, Pranab Balabantray and Anubhav Patnaik, who had allegedly assisted Gouda in siphoning off Rs 63 lakh.
The Chhatra Congress demanded CBI inquiry into the case. "Top leaders of BJD are associated with the scam. We want to know under whose recommendation Motilal had got a chair in the department of Factories and Boiler? If CBI is entrusted with the task of inquiry, no one would be spared," Itish Pradhan, Chhatra Congress chief, said.
The minister and other MLAs, who allegedly had close relations with the accused, have refused to comment on the matter while Anubhav Patnaik has said he is ready to face an investigation in the case.
"The crime Branch is probing the matter. Whoever is found guilty will be punished. I am ready to come under the purview of investigation", Patnaik said.
Notably, on November 17, 2015, the State government had removed 408 medical officers from government service for remaining ‘absent from duty for a long period unauthorisedly and willfully.’ Gouda’s name had appeared in the list at serial number 355.
Curiously, Gouda was working as the Assistant director in the Department of Factories (Medical), which functions under the Labour department, when he was sacked and continued to do so till a scam perpetrated by him sealed his fate.
A month before being sacked by the Health department, Gouda allegedly issued a fake notification asking industries in the state to get the health check-ups of their staff done at one of the five ’empanelled’ pathology laboratories. Based on this notification, he even managed to sign a contract worth Rs 63 lakh with Navaratna PSU Nalco and was in the process of signing another contract worth Rs 1.02 crore when his game was up.
