A special vigilance court in Odisha has convicted a forest ranger on corruption charges and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for four years.
The court of A K Das yesterday also fined the ranger, Raj Kishore Panda, Rs 10,000 and a further two months in case of non-payment.
The court also found the him under section 409 of IPC (criminal breach of trust by public servant), and sentenced him to RI of two years and a fine of Rs 30,000 and in the event of non-payment, an additional RI of three months.
According to a Vigilance Directorate release, a case under several sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC were registered in 1996 against the ranger working in the Bhatlaida Kendu Leaf Range in Jharsuguda district for misappropriation of government funds amounting to Rs 2.21 lakhs.
Both the sentences would run concurrently.
