Bhubaneswar, April 7: The Orissa High Court has extended the interim protection for senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi until May 5 in a bribery case involving Bridge and Roof Company (India) Limited. Sethi’s lawyer, Debasish Kumar Panda, confirmed that the protection also covers Sethi’s wife and daughter.
The case began after Chanchal Mukherjee, a manager at the company, was arrested on December 8 for allegedly accepting a ₹10 lakh bribe in exchange for a work order. During his questioning by the CBI, Mukherjee reportedly implicated Sethi, leading to an investigation. The CBI raided Sethi’s quarters on February 18, but the operation sparked a dispute between Sethi and the agency.
Sethi maintains his innocence, denying any connection to Mukherjee or the company, and claims no FIR has been filed against him. In response to alleged harassment, he filed a petition in the High Court on February 24, prompting the court’s intervention.