Forest Ranger Jailed for Bribery: A Tale of Corruption in Odisha

A retired forest ranger, Kishore Kumar Nayak, was sentenced to four years in prison by a special vigilance court in Berhampur, Odisha, for taking a Rs 30,000 bribe from a carpenter. The court also imposed a Rs 20,000 fine with an additional eight-month sentence if unpaid. A second case for disproportionate assets is underway.

A retired forest ranger has been sentenced to four years of imprisonment by a special vigilance court in Odisha's Berhampur for accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a carpenter.

The bribe was taken to avoid registering a case against the carpenter after timber was seized from his workshop, an incident that occurred around nine years ago.

Judge Gyanendra Kumar Barik, who presided over the case, also levied a fine of Rs 20,000 on the ranger, identified as Kishore Kumar Nayak, with an additional eight months of imprisonment if the fine is not paid. The court heard the statements of nine witnesses. Nayak faces a separate trial for a disproportionate assets case registered in 2015.

(With inputs from agencies.)