Bhubaneswar: Former District Inspector of Schools, Aska has alleged that IAS officer V. Karthikeyan Pandian had demanded Rs 2 lakh bribe per Scheduled Tribe Sikhya Sahayak applicant for CT training when the bureaucrat was the collector of Ganjam in 2008.
The then District Inspector of Schools, Laxmi Narayan Das has further alleged that he was suspended by the Ganjam district administration after he declined to be a part of the corruption racket and comply with the directive of Pandian.
“I was suspended from duty on the pretext of delay in sending bio-data of candidates,” said Das.
“Details of 42 candidates were sent to the Directorate of TE & SCERT much ahead of the deadline. I have the acknowledgement to prove my point. Due to a delay on the part of the Chhatrapur District Inspector of Schools the details could not reach the Directorate. So action should be taken against whom?” stated Das.
Das had moved the Orissa High Court against the suspension order following which the court directed the School and Mass Education department to reinstate the benefits.
But the bureaucrat’s influence was so much that the court directive was suppressed under red tape, Das’ Counsel Santosh Mohanty stated.
“We had filed a contempt of court case in the HC. Later the court issued a warrant against the then Education Secretary Usha Padhee. But the court’s directive is yet to be complied with as the then Ganjam Collector Pandian is now exerting influence on the third floor,” Mohanty added.
Das moved the offices of Chief Minister and the Prime Minister as well, but to no avail. The Prime Minister’s Office had directed the State government but it was ignored by the School and Mass Education department, claimed Das.
Though OTV made efforts to get comments from the IAS officer on telephone, he could not be reached.