Odisha : Asst Engineer dismissed from service for giving false evidence during trial

Bhubaneswar: An Assistant Engineer of RWSS Section in Bijepur of Baragarha district in Odisha has been dismissed from service for giving false evidence during trial to help an accused in a Vigilance case.

Vigilance sources said the case registered in Sambalpur where Upendra Bhanja Naik while serving as Junior Engineer in RWSS Section, Sohela, Bargarh had been requisitioned as an official witness to witness the detection of trap against accused Anand Saraf, the then Senior Clerk, in the Executive Engineer, West Electrical Division, Bargarh office.

Although, Naik had witnessed the transaction of bribe, during trial, he resiled from his earlier statements and deposed false evidence to help the accused leading to acquittal in the case.
Hence, as per the recommendation of Vigilance, departmental proceeding was initiated against Naik by Housing and Urban Development of Odisha and finally he was dismissed from service by the competent authority.

The dismissal orders were received on Friday at the Vigilance Directorate.So far, in the last two years, 45 perjury cases have been initiated by Vigilance against complainants/witnesses turning hostile during trial.

Such strong actions have helped Vigilance department in ensuring a high conviction rate in corruption cases. In 2022, the overall conviction rate in Vigilance cases was around 50 per cent and the conviction rate in Disproportionate assets cases was 77 per cent, ranking Vigilance among top performing States.(UNI)