Doctor Sentenced to 5 Years in Bribery Case by Sundargarh Vigilance Court

Bhubaneswar: A Special Vigilance Court in Odisha’s Sundargarh district on Friday convicted a government doctor in a decade-old bribery case and sentenced him to five years of rigorous imprisonment.

The convict, Dr. Patita Paban Barik, who was serving as the in-charge Medical Officer at Gurandi Community Health Centre (CHC) in Gajapati district, was also fined ₹20,000 by the court. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional six months of imprisonment.

According to case details, Dr. Barik, during his tenure as the in-charge medical officer at Gurundia CHC in Sundargarh, demanded a bribe of ₹10,000 from a vehicle owner who was providing transport services to the hospital. The bribe was allegedly sought in exchange for signing the vehicle’s logbook, a necessary step for processing the hiring charges.

Acting on a complaint lodged by the vehicle owner, the Vigilance Department laid a trap and caught Dr. Barik red-handed while accepting the bribe in his office on December 4, 2015.

Following a detailed investigation, the Vigilance sleuths filed a chargesheet against Barik under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. After years of legal proceedings, the court pronounced its judgment today, convicting the doctor.

Dr. Barik was taken into custody immediately after the sentencing and sent to jail to serve his term. The Vigilance Department has confirmed that it will soon approach the competent authority to initiate dismissal proceedings against him from government service.