CUTTACK: In what seems to be a slap on the face of the State Government, the Orissa High Court on Friday quashed the entire corruption charges pressed by it against Director-General, CRPF and former Odisha DGP Prakash Mishra.
The single judge bench of Justice S C Parija was scathing in its indictment of the Government observing that the action against Mishra was politically motivated. The corruption case in connection with his tenure as the CMD of Odisha Police Housing and Welfare Corporation (OPHWC) from 2006 to 2009 is devoid of any substantive evidence, the bench stated.
“It is not uncommon that honest and upright officers have been hounded by the political establishment at different points of time”, Justice Parija observed.
The court also passed stricture against the Director, Vigilance observing that he had not ensured free and fair investigation. The FIR had been registered and the case pursued with the sole intention of showing loyalty to the political establishment.
Taking strong note of the conduct of the Vigilance Director, Justice Parija said it was improper on his part to entrust the investigation to a DSP against the petitioner who was a former DGP of the State and one of the seniormost IPS officers in the country. Terming the case to be one politically motivated and no prima facie material being available to support the allegation, the court quashed the entire criminal proceeding against him.
Mishra had been charged with alleged financial irregularities in OPHWC during his tenure in the corporation. The State Vigilance had registered a case against him for allegedly showing undue favour to building material supplier firms by releasing their whole payment in advance causing financial loss to the corporation. The corporation lost `59 crore on that account, the anti-corruption unit contended. Mishra had challenged the FIR in the High Court terming it mala fide and stating that he acted as per powers vested on him as the CMD.
Mishra, who was in the contention for the post of CBI Director at the time last year, alleged that the case was foisted on him with ulterior motives. He had been shifted as CMD, Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) in July last year and allowed to leave on Central deputation in September 2014. He had joined as the Special Secretary (Internal Security) before becoming the DG, CRPF in December. The Vigilance case reportedly came against him during selection of the CBI Director.
Mishra said, “I stand vindicated. All charges against me have been proved wrong. I have nothing more to say”.