Orissa CM should prove his prudence by dismissing Under Secretary S. Mohaptra of HE Deptt and his client Manasi Sarangi

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

The State Government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has dismissed on Aug.31 as many as 6 more employees from service and stopped payment of pension to 4 retired persons on location of corruption they were indulged in, in addition to 15 such employees dismissed on Aug. 17 with pension stopped for 2 retired fellows, under the ‘zero-tolerance-to-corruption’ mission crafted by him.

These punished employees belong to the lowest cadres of their respective departments and a corollary question arises: are the employees in higher positions free of corruption? Why no action against any as yet?

I have given an instance in writing to the Governor, with a copy thereof to the CM about how corruption practiced by an Under Secretary in the department of Higher Education has led to reinstatement of a lady lecturer, namely Manasi Sarangi, in a post she was found to have abandoned for more than 10 years; and which, unless nullified, may denude the State Exchequer of more than 1.5 crores of rupees, over and above rewarding the lady lecturer for the gross misconduct of unauthorized absence, with monumental amount of salary.

Cultivated support

This Under Secretary, by name Suryanarayan Mohapatra has misled the govt by saying to the contrary of the actual that, Smt. Sarangi was “Kept out of service since 2.7.2008” when, in fact, she was in “unauthorized absence”. It seems he has very expertly cultivated support for his client, Smt. Sarangi. See for yourself.

When Smt. Sarangi in her affidavit dated 4.12.2013 submitted to the Govt. and relied upon by the Under secretary in his Noting, has confessed at Para 3 thereof, that, she “was on leave” “under compelling circumstances” and not on medical leave, the said Under Secretary Suryanarayan Mohapatra has misled the Govt. by saying that, “for none of her faults she is kept out of service and has not been allowed to join in duty and perform her duties for the cause of the college.” He has further misled the Govt. by saying, “When she has obtained medical certificate, it was not also accepted at any level. Therefore gross illegality has occurred in case of the applicant” (Ms. Sarangi).

Investigation by the Director

That, he had misled the government with false and fabricated facts in his noting (Noting 11, dt. 11 July 2018) has been proved in the most material investigation conducted by the Director, Higher Education on the specific question of her long absence. Misled by the said Under Secretary Suryanarayan Mohapatra, the govt. reinstated Ms. Sarangi under Order No.20445/HE dated 18.7.2018 pending detailed Posting Orders and the Director of Higher Education was instructed to accept her joining report against her post in U.N.(A)College, Adashpur and take steps to cause her placement in a nearby College. When she joined the Directorate on 23.7.2018, the S.A. Mahavidyalay, Balipatna was found suitable for her where she was posted to by the Govt. vide Order No. 25979/HE dated 12.9.2018, executed by the DHE on 15.9.2018 in Order bearing No.31012. Thereafter, as per the Order dated 18.7.2018, the DHE took up investigation on her long absence since 2.7.2008 to 22.7.2018, which was required by the Govt. to “regularize” her services.

Mischief of the Under Secretary laid bare

The DHE issued letter No. 38853 dt.17.12.2018 to Smt. Sarangi “to attend the enquiry on 21.12.2018 with all documents to justify her absence from 2.7.2008 to 22.7.2018.” Smt. Sarangi could not substantiate her claim that her long absence was justified, despite repeated opportunities given.

It is worth quoting the Enquiry Report submitted to the Govt. by the Director in 2M-105-III/2012/6358//Dt.14.2.2019:

“Despite specific prior intimation to produce all documents in support of her contention justifying her absence, Smt. Sarangi could only show some medical prescriptions on that date (21.12.2018) which were not adequate. Smt. Sarangi requested to fix another date to produce all documents in support of her contentions. Accordingly, another date was fixed to 24.12.2018. Further enquiry was conducted on 24.12.2018 in presence of Smt. Sarangi. Appearing at the enquiry on the said date, Smt. Sarangi submitted a written submission along with copy of some medical prescription papers and medical fitness certificate which she claimed justify her long absence from duty. The written submission and copy of other documents submitted by Smt Sarangi do not reveal satisfactory reasons to justify long period of absence from duty for more than 10 years. The allegation of Smt. Sarangi against the Principal of the College that she was prevented/not allowed to join in the institution are found not credible, as the Principal must have rightly asked for Medical Board Certificate when she was unauthorizedly absent from 2.7.2008 and allegedly reported on 29.4.2009 after a gap of more than 8 months.”

This report of DHE, based on investigation and personal hearing establishes how mischievously the Under Secretary Suryanarayan Mohapatra has misled the Government in order to facilitate the reinstatement of Smt. Sarangi in the post she had abandoned more than 10 years ago. Mischief of Sarangi has been stripped layer by layer in the declaration by the departmental Director that her long absence was unauthorized and unjustified.

Strong case for appropriate action against Sarangi

The Director in his Report has clearly and unambiguously stated that there is a strong case for appropriate action against Smt. Sarangi. The relevant portion of the Report is worth quoting:

“Smt. Sarangi had remained absent from duties unauthorizedly for a long period of more than 10 years. On perusal of all documents and records available and personal hearing, it is revealed that there is a strong case for appropriate action under the relevant Rules against Smt. Sarangi for such long unauthorized absence from duty without valid reasons. It is worth mentioning that she had not complied with the earlier Government Order in Letter No. 13290 dtd 22.6.2015”.

Either corrupted or corrupt

Had the under secretary Suryanarayan Mohapatra not misled the Government in his noting No.11 of 11 July 2018, Smt. Sarangi, despite her husband’s unholy nexus with the Chief Minister in the matter of braking the Bhasha Andolan, could never have bagged the order of reinstatement. Documentary evidences oozing out of official records strongly suggest that, Smt Sarangi has either corrupted the Under Secretary Suryanarayan Mohapatra of Higher Education Department to make out a case in favor of her reinstatement or Sri Mohapatra has under heavy bribe misled the Government to proceed to reinstate her so illegally in her job, which she had legally lost under the service Rules since 28.10.2013 with retrospective effect from 2.7.2008, as per the legal communication of the Principal of U.N.(A) College, Adashpur made with the DHE vide Letter No.812/UNC dtd.28.10.22013.

I have earlier shown that Pradyumna Satpathy, husband of this lady lecturer had bartered Bhasha Andolan against the Chief Minister’s assurance to give back his wife her job and I have no reason to believe that this business was unreal. If the CM is not personally involved with this nefarious deal, he must prove his prudence by dismissing Suryanarayan Mohapatra and his client Smt. Manasi Sarangi for having misled the Government completely in this matter under their respective avaricious agenda.

Dismissing low cadre employees for corruption while protecting such high-paid miscreants despite evidences of corruption would be a great obnoxious farce of the so-called mission of zero-tolerance-to-corruption.

If not personally involved, let the CM act

Chief Minister Nabeen Patnaik should react and ask the Secretary of Higher Education about what action he has taken on the Governor’s Order No. P-1-15/2019-9946-SG (ptn) Dated 2.8.2019, if he is not personally involved with this stark illegality. He can also ask the Secretary of Higher Education about what action he has taken against Smt. Manasi Sarangi on the basis of the Enquiry Report submitted by the Director of Higher Education on 14.2.2019 as quoted supra.

I call upon the Chief Minister to apprise the people of the action taken, as this entire illegal exercise has a link with his suspected conspiracy to kill the Bhasha Andolan, in order not to allow Oriya to be the Official Language of Orissa, under the sway of non-Oriyas as he is.