Bhubaneswar: The Special Vigilance Court here Saturday rejected a petition filed by former Union minister Dilip Kumar Ray requesting the court to discharge a case against him that states he has amassed assets disproportionate to legal sources of income.
A source said that the case pertaining to unequal assets was earlier registered against Ray by the anti-corruption department in 1996. The court Saturday delivered a 33-page order and asked Ray to remain present personally March 15 for further hearing. Designated senior Supreme Court advocate S Rajashekar appeared for Ray.
The court ordered framing of charges against Ray as he was found in possession of a number of plots, a chain of hotels and several bank accounts, including other movable and immovable assets.
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Ray was a minister at that time in the Cabinet of former Chief Minister of Odisha late Biju Patnaik. The anti-graft agency had estimated Ray’s disproportionate assets at Rs 3.88 crore. The Vigilance directorate in Cuttack had registered a case (No-53/28.6.1996) under Section 13 (1) r/w 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act against him.
It is pertinent to mention here that the former MLA from Rourkela Assembly constituency was sentenced three-year imprisonment in October 2020 by Delhi court in connection with a coal scam case for irregularities in allocation of coal block of Jharkhand in 1999.
The coal scam was conducted during BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Ray was the minister of state (MoS) for Coal with independent charge in the erstwhile Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Following Ray’s conviction, he was granted bail along with two other accused. Later, the trial court suspended the sentencing of him.
Despite several attempts, reactions of Ray could not be obtained.
PNN