In a stern action against alleged misconduct, Jagatsinghpur District Collector J Sonal on Saturday withheld the January salary of a police inspector for reportedly flouting a direct order from the Orissa High Court related to illegal sand mining.
Salary Stopped and Show-Cause Notice Issued
The officer facing action is Pradip Sethy, the Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of Tirtol police station. Collector Sonal not only stopped his salary but also served him a show-cause notice for suspected misuse of power. The collector directed Sethy to provide a written explanation within two days, warning that failure to do so would lead to legal proceedings against him.
The Background: A Crackdown on Illegal Sand Mining
The case originates from a major drive against illegal sand mining conducted by the police across Jagatsinghpur district in November and December of last year. During this operation, authorities seized approximately 80 trucks at Kilipal ghat, located under Tirtol block, for their involvement in illegal sand quarrying. All these vehicles were placed under the custody of the Tirtol police station.
Subsequently, the owners of three of the seized vehicles petitioned the Orissa High Court for their release. After hearing the plea, the court issued a specific directive. It ordered the vehicle owners to submit all necessary documents within 15 days before a trio of officials: the IIC of Tirtol police station, the sub-collector of Jagatsinghpur, and the district mining officer. This process was to be followed for the formal release of their vehicles.
The Alleged Violation and Collector's Strong Rebuke
However, IIC Pradip Sethy is accused of sidestepping this clear procedure. He allegedly released the seized vehicles to their owners without informing or consulting the sub-collector and the district mining officer, as mandated by the high court.
In her order, Collector J Sonal strongly condemned this action. She stated that the police officer's activities demonstrated disobedience towards the high court's order and constituted a misuse of official power. Furthermore, she cited a violation of the Odisha Government Servants' (Conduct) Rules, 1959. "For which he is liable for disciplinary action as per OCS (CC&A) Rules, 1962," the collector's notice explicitly mentioned.
This decisive move by the district administration highlights a strict stance against officials who disregard judicial orders and overstep their authority, particularly in sensitive matters like illegal mining which has significant environmental and legal ramifications.
