Bhubaneswar: The CBI, probing the alleged bribery case against senior Bridge and Roof Company Ltd official Chanchal Mukherjee, has sought details from the state govt about a recent meeting between him and senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi.
Sethi, who was sent a notice by the CBI to join the investigation, is in the eye of a storm for his alleged link with Mukherjee.
"On Dec 4, the Bridge and Roof Company wrote an official letter to IAS officer Sethi, seeking his appointment the next day for a meeting with Mukherjee and one more official of the central PSU. We are trying to know what transpired in the meeting," a CBI source said.
The letter indicated that Bridge and Roof Company officials sought to discuss Odisha-based projects with Sethi. However, suspicion arose when Mukherjee was arrested for accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe from a businessman two days after the meeting. Earlier in Oct, Sethi's ST&SC development department had approved a project for the central PSU.
B K Singh, general manager of Bridge and Roof Company, who was scheduled to attend the Dec 5 meeting with Sethi alongside Mukherjee, refused to discuss what the meeting was about. "I will not comment on the matter since the CBI probe is underway. The CBI will find out," Singh said.
Asked about questions being raised regarding the PSU's alleged tendering practices, Singh stated, "The allegations are false and baseless. We have been executing govt projects with all fairness and transparency."
On Monday, a senior CBI officer from Delhi arrived in Bhubaneswar to oversee investigation into the Rs 10 lakh bribery case. His visit fuelled speculation about Sethi's potential questioning. Despite the CBI's request for Sethi to join the investigation on Dec 11, the IAS officer had reportedly requested additional time.
Calls and messages to Sethi went unanswered. His colleagues remained silent about his office attendance or possible leave status.
In another development, Santosh Moharana, director of a private company arrested for bribing Mukherjee and questioned over eight days in CBI remand in two phases, was hospitalised at Capital Hospital on Monday with diarrhoea, according to the medical staff.