Corruption Unveiled: Ex-IAS Officer Convicted in Major Housing Scam

Former IAS officer Vinod Kumar and five others were convicted by a Special Vigilance Court in Bhubaneswar for misusing government funds in a housing scam. Kumar, previously dismissed for corruption, was involved in 15 pending cases and was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment along with other convicts.

A Special Vigilance Court in Bhubaneswar has reached a verdict in a significant housing scam case, finding former IAS officer Vinod Kumar and five other individuals guilty of corruption. Kumar, who served as the managing director of Odisha Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC), has faced repeated legal challenges, with this latest conviction marking his twelfth in a series of corruption-related cases linked to ORHDC.

The court determined that the six convicts had misused government funds amounting to Rs 52.95 lakh, originally intended for rural housing schemes for the impoverished. Each individual received a sentence of three years of rigorous imprisonment. Allegations revealed that the accused had exploited their positions to facilitate undue advantages for private builder Sangram Keshari Sahoo by fabricating documents. Consequently, the Special Judge, Vigilance, in Bhubaneswar convicted all involved under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code.

Vinod Kumar, a 1989 batch officer, was dismissed from service in 2022 over corruption charges. Notably, during his tenure at ORHDC in 1999, Kumar approved Rs 33.34 crore in housing funds through illicit means. This occurred after the Super Cyclone prompted large-scale rural housing initiatives. He also faced accusations of irresponsible loan distribution to real estate entities and NGOs without ensuring proper oversight. In 2018, Kumar was already convicted for fiscal misconduct related to ORHDC, underscoring the widespread corruption within his administration.