ORHDC Scam: Vigilance Court awards 3-year-jail term to 2 officials

Bhubaneswar: The Special Vigilance Court in Bhubaneswar today awarded three-year jail term to the then accounts officer Pradip Rout and accountant Chitta Mallick in connection with Rs 55 lakh fraud in Odisha Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC).

Both Rout and Mallick were arrested after they surrendered before the concerned court today. Earlier in July, the Orissa High Court had directed five persons including former ORHDC director and IAS officer Binod Kumar to surrender before the Vigilance court in connection with the financial fraud.

Binod Kumar, the then executive director (technical) Purna Chandra Das, assistant manager Sanjay Mohanty, accounts officer Pradip Rout, accountant Chitta Mallick and secretary of Gramya Bikash Manch, Asish Das have been convicted by the court.

All the accused were held guilty under section 13 (2), 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and section 420 and 120 of Indian Penal Code.

The accused were found guilty for criminal conspiracy and granting pecuniary advantage to NGO Gramya Bikash Manch by releasing funds in an arbitrary manner without following the guidelines to set up Rural Building Centre (RBC) in Balipatna, thereby causing a loss to the State and Financial Institutions.