Cuttack: The Vigilance department officials are now probing the assets of IAS officer Bijay Ketan Upadhyay who has been charged with accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh during his tenure as the director of Horticulture department.
The Vigilance department had written to the Horticulture department asking to furnish details regarding Upadhyay’s assets, sources said.
In its reply, the Horticulture department has informed Vigilance sleuths that Upadhyay had not submitted any information on his assets. Horticulture department has claimed that Upadhyay had worked as its director from August 20, 2018 to December 30, 2019. During that period, Upadhyay’s net salary was Rs 14,35, 830 while his gross salary was Rs 17,60,935.
During his tenure, Upadhyay had not withdrawn money from his provident fund. Similarly, the IAS officer had not sought any permission from the Horticulture department to buy any property. “Upadhyay had not submitted any information on his assets. Besides, he had not informed the department reading his spouse’s occupation and earnings. The IAS officer had not sought the required permission to accept any gift from any source,” said the Vigilance department in its reply.
It is worth mentioning here that Vigilance sleuths had arrested Upadhyay December 30 last year on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the representative of a private firm.
The Orissa High Court had granted bail to the IAS officer in February this year. Vigilance officials had claimed that a total of Rs 70 lakh had been deposited to three bank accounts of Upadhyay from 2012 to 2019. It had been alleged that Rs 22 lakh had been deposited to Upadhyay’s bank accounts during his tenure at the Horticulture department.