DISTRICT PLANNING OFFICER SENTENCED 8 YEARS IN JAIL

DISTRICT PLANNING OFFICER SENTENCED 8 YEARS IN JAIL

8-MAY-ENG 4

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA---------------------------Under the Nitish government's 'zero tolerance' policy against corruption, the Vigilance Investigation Bureau has achieved another major success. A Special Vigilance Court has convicted Om Prakash—the then District Planning Officer of Muzaffarpur—on charges of accepting a bribe and has pronounced his sentence.

The case dates back to 2016. The complainant, Deepak Kumar Paldiwal from Khagaria district, had filed a complaint alleging that Om Prakash was demanding a bribe of ₹200,000 in exchange for authorizing payments for desks and benches supplied to schools under the Integrated Action Plan. Acting on this complaint, the Vigilance Department laid a trap and arrested the accused officer red-handed on May 13, 2016, while he was in possession of the bribe money.

After hearing arguments from both sides, Vigilance Judge Mr. Dashrath Mishra found the accused, Om Prakash, guilty under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act:

•           Under Section 7: 3 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹10,000.

•           Under Section 13(2): 5 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹10,000.

•           Additional Penalty: Failure to deposit the fine amount will result in an additional 2 months of simple imprisonment. Both sentences are to run concurrently.

Representing the government, Special Public Prosecutor Mr. Krishna Dev Sah presented the case effectively, successfully securing a conviction against the accused.

According to statistics from the Vigilance Investigation Bureau, courts have pronounced verdicts in 8 corruption cases so far this year. As per the list released by the Bureau, those convicted include officials holding positions such as Forest Ranger, Junior Engineer, Station House Officer (SHO), and Head Clerk. Key officials found guilty so far in 2026:

1.         Sitaram Chaudhary (Then-Ranger, Vaishali)

2.         Jayaram Singh (Junior Engineer, Nawada)

3.         Naresh Prasad (Assistant Sub-Inspector, Nalanda)

4.         Sudama Rai (Junior Electrical Engineer, Nawada)

5.         Ram Naresh Prasad (In-charge Head Clerk, Rohtas)

6.         Krishnadev Paswan (Head Clerk, Rohtas)

7.         Lal Babu Prasad (Then-Station House Officer, Gaya)

8.         Om Prakash (District Planning Officer, Muzaffarpur)

The Vigilance Bureau has clarified that prosecution proceedings against public servants involved in corruption will be further intensified.