53 Class-I officers, including an IAS officer, booked on graft charges in 2025: Odisha Vigilance

Cuttack: Revealing its performance for 2025, the Odisha Vigilance on Wednesday said it booked 53 Class-I officers, including one IAS officer, on charges of amassing disproportionate assets, bribery and misappropriation of government funds.

Vigilance Director Yeshwant Kumar Jethwa said the officials booked included 2021-batch IAS officer Dhiman Chakma and Chief Engineer Baikuntha Nath Sarangi.

Among those booked were 36 engineers, including one Chief Engineer and two Superintending Engineers; 17 forest officials, including two Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs); 20 revenue officials, including six Tahasildars; one Joint Commissioner of the State Transport Authority; one Joint Director and two Project Directors of the Watershed programme; two Assistant Commissioners of CT and GST; two Superintendents of Excise; one Chief Supply Officer (CSO); one District Labour Officer (DLO); one Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI); one District Education Officer; one Deputy Director of Textiles; 22 Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water officials; 16 police officers; five doctors; and six ICDS functionaries.

During the year, the Vigilance registered a total of 202 criminal cases, including 49 disproportionate assets cases, and unearthed assets worth around ₹120 crore disproportionate to known sources of income.

As many as 97 trap cases were registered, in which 114 persons, including 105 government officials, were caught while demanding and accepting bribes.

The Vigilance also seized 153 buildings, 714 plots, 12 farmhouses, 18.3 kg of gold, bank deposits worth ₹36.69 crore and cash amounting to ₹8.81 crore during 2025.