CUTTACK: In an interim relief to IAS officer Vinod Kumar, against whom vigilance court has issued non-bailable warrant (NBW) after convicting him in a corruption case, the Orissa high court on Tuesday put stay order on the Vigilance Court’s order.
The high court directed authorities not to take any coercive action against Kumar till its further orders. The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled to July 19. “The Court will hear the matter in detail on July 19,” said Kumar’s counsel, Pitambar Acharya.
The petitioner has sought relief from high court pleading innocence in the matter. He has cited in his plea that the trial by the vigilance court was not carried in proper manner and hence its order should be quashed by the high court.
Vinod Kumar, who is currently serving as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the higher education department, and five others were convicted by the Special Vigilance Court on July 3 in connection with a corruption case that took place when he was the managing director of the Odisha Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC).
The six were convicted for their alleged involvement in financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 55 lakh in the construction of cyclone shelters after the Super Cyclone in October 1999. Vigilance said Kumar allegedly committed all the financial irregularities during his tenure as managing director of ORHDC between January 2000 to May 2001.