Balangir Bribery Case: Ex‑DFO, Deputy Range Officer Jailed
Balangir, Odisha: In a major anti‑corruption breakthrough, the Special Judge, Vigilance, Balangir has convicted two retired forest officials for demanding and accepting illegal gratification.
Former Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Kendu Leaf, Patnagarh Division, Pranab Kumar Mohanty, and Ex‑Deputy Range Officer of Ghasian South Range, Chittaranjan Dehury, were sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined under the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
The duo had demanded and accepted Rs 1.66 lakh from a Range Officer to release funds earmarked for repair and maintenance of Kendu Leaf godowns.
The case was registered as Sambalpur Vigilance PS Case No.13 dated 08.06.2020.
Odisha Vigilance has announced that steps will be taken to stop pension benefits of the convicted officers, reinforcing the state’s zero‑tolerance stance against corruption in the forest division.
