The Odisha Vigilance department has filed a charge sheet against Abhay Kant Pathak, a dismissed IFS officer, and his son Akash Kumar Pathak. They are accused of possessing disproportionate assets worth over Rs 14 crore. The charge sheet, which is 5,000 pages long, was filed after receiving prosecution sanction from the Central government. Abhay Kant Pathak was working as Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Plan, Programme & Afforestation) in Odisha.
The case was registered by the Odisha Vigilance on November 27, 2020, under different sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act. It alleges that Pathak possessed assets that were disproportionate to his known sources of income during his time as a public servant. The department conducted house searches at 16 locations and collected relevant materials, documents, and information related to assets, income, and expenditure during the investigation.
After completing the investigation, it was found that Pathak had assets disproportionate to the value of Rs 14,25,46,901. Cash amounting to over Rs 10 crore and account transfers totaling around Rs 5 crore were found in different bank accounts belonging to Pathak and his son Akash.
The charge sheet, which is 5,000 pages long, has been filed in the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar. It contains detailed evidence against Abhay Kant Pathak for possessing disproportionate assets and against his son Akash Kumar Pathak for abetting the offense. Both accused individuals have failed to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the properties in their possession.
