March 5th 2025.
In Cuttack, there has been an ongoing case involving senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi and his family. The Orissa High Court has recently made an interim order to prevent any harsh actions from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against them until March 18. This order was given during a hearing on Tuesday, after the CBI submitted a reply affidavit. The court has allowed the petitioners to file a rejoinder and has postponed further proceedings.
The case revolves around Sethi's supposed connection with a senior officer of a central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU). This officer was arrested in December of last year for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh. In light of this, the CBI conducted a raid at Sethi's residence on February 18. Feeling harassed by the investigating agency officials, Sethi, along with his wife and daughter, approached the high court on February 24.
Justice S K Panigrahi granted interim protection to the family on February 25, after the CBI requested more time to respond to Sethi's plea. During the recent hearing on Tuesday, Justice Panigrahi extended the family's protection and stated that the matter will be revisited on March 18.
Sethi has strongly denied any involvement with the PSU, Bridge and Roof Company Limited, which has been working with the Odisha government for many years. He has stated that despite not being named in the First Information Report (FIR), the CBI still conducted a search at his residence. They also seized his daughter's laptop and froze his wife's bank account.
The bribery case, which led to the arrest of Chanchal Mukherjee, a senior official of the PSU, has also brought Sethi under scrutiny. Mukherjee, during interrogation, allegedly mentioned Sethi's name. The CBI had previously issued a notice to Sethi, as they believed he may have crucial information regarding the case. The matter is still ongoing, and the next hearing will take place on March 18.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
