PARADIP: Superintending engineer (SE) of Paradip Port Authority (PPA) Pramod Kumar Bindhani has been sacked for allegedly submitting a fake caste certificate at the time of his appointment in 1991.
In an order issued on Monday, the PPA dismissed Bindhani from service by cancelling his appointment with immediate effect. The decision came after the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) Central Range in Cuttack, Suresh Chandra Dalai ordered action against the engineer for the fake caste certificate.
The salary paid to Bindhani so far since his appointment date will also be recovered from him.
On March 25, 2021, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), New Delhi directed PPA to inquire into the caste status of Bandhani. Accordingly, the PPA requested the collector and district magistrate of Mayurbhanj to probe the matter and submit a report.
In a few months, the additional district magistrate informed that the land recorded in the name of Bindhani’s father Manika Bindhani shows the caste as Kamara which belongs to OBC/SEBC.
After getting the report, the PPA issued a show-cause notice to Bindhani to clarify his caste status. But instead of replying to the notice, Bindhani went to the High Court stating that PPA has no jurisdiction to decide about his caste.
On November 29, 2021, one Biswajit Pradhan from Takarmala in Kandhamal district filed a petition with the RDC in Cuttack and other top officials, alleging that Bandhani had acquired a fake ST certificate under the ‘Kol-Loharas’ caste to get reservation benefits for his government and PSU appointments.
During the pendency of Bindhani’s writ petition in court, the State Level Scrutiny Committee (SLSC) through the office of RDC asked PPA to send a detailed report relating to the caste of the engineer in view of another allegation on the same issue. Accordingly, all the documents were submitted to the office of joint director, SSD, office of RDC on December 30, 2021.
In the meantime, the High Court gave a verdict that caste issues can only be verified by a scrutiny committee. As per the direction of the court, PPA once again submitted relevant documents pertaining to the appointment of Bindhani to the RDC and chairman of SLSC on April 11, 2023.
On August 31, 2023, the SLSC, after due inquiry, passed an order against Bindhani stating that even after belonging to the Kamara caste, the engineer faked his identity as a Kol-Lohars and directed his removal from service. Bindhani, who joined as assistant engineer, Civil in PPA against the vacancy reserved for ST candidate, was later promoted to the post of executive engineer in 2002 and thereafter, became the SE in 2007.