Patna, Sept. 5: The corrupt bureaucrats in Bihar have started feeling the heat of the state government’s special drive against corruption following the confiscation of property of suspended IAS officer Shiva Shanker Verma.

Besides Verma, the vigilance court has issued confiscation order against two public servants — Girish Kumar and Yogendra Kumar Singh — since December 2010. Verma is the first to have his property seized after having lost an appeal in Patna High Court on August 19 against the vigilance court order.

Sources in the vigilance department said Verma and Girish moved the high court against the special vigilance court’s order. Yogendra is yet to make any appeal.

Verma’s petition seeking stay on the confiscation order was rejected, which paved the way for confiscation of his property in Patna and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.

Girish, a former assistant in Patna district collectorate, and Yogendra, a former revenue officer of Gaya, have been charged with accumulating movable and immovable property worth Rs 47.66 lakh and Rs 9.71 lakh, respectively.

Though the vigilance court had first ordered confiscation of property of Raghunvansh Kunwar on December 10, 2010, his assets were not seized as he moved the high court.

The vigilance court had ordered Kunwar and his wife Lalita Devi to handover their disproportionate assets worth Rs 44.99 lakh to the Patna district magistrate within 30 days of the issuance of the order. The couple had a palatial house in Patna and another at native village in Samastipur district.

Then motor vehicle inspector of Aurangabad, Kunwar moved the high court pleading that he was denied the opportunity to put his side. The high court sent back his file, directing the vigilance court to look into Kunwar’s complaint.

“The matter related to Kunwar’s confiscation of disproportionate assets is pending in the vigilance court,” an officer said, adding that the trial of the case was in progress.

The other public servants against whom proceedings of confiscation of property have been initiated include Kalika Prasad, a retired IAS officer, Y.K Jaiswal, former state drug controller Srikant Prasad, the then executive engineer of rural development department, Bhola Prasad, former divisional forest officer of Kailmur Anil Kumar, former assistant commissioner of commercial tax department and Awadhesh Singh, a chief engineer.

The special vigilance unit (anti-corruption wing comprising former CBI officers) probed the disproportionate assets cases against Narain Mishra, Verma and Jaiswal. The other cases were probed by the vigilance investigation bureau.