Cuttack, Jan. 6: State government officials allegedly promoted unauthorised collection of public deposits by Artha Tatwa, a non-banking financial institution facing trial for embezzling public deposits worth crores of rupees.

At least one such alleged case has come to the fore in a petition filed before the Justice R.K. Patra Commission.

Acting on it, the Commission has issued notice to Rajkishore Choudhury, the secretary of Odisha State Human Rights Commission.

“The notice has been issued to appear in person or by an advocate and submit written statement on February 3, failing which it shall be presumed that the respondent has no statement of defence, and the commission will proceed in accordance with law,” Justice R.K. Patra told The Telegraph today.

The petition, filed by one Nakula Sahoo, a petty vegetable trader of Barang alleged that on August 12, 2012, Rajkishore Choudhury, then working in the finance department (now posted as secretary Odisha State Human Rights Commission), had received from him Rs one lakh for investment in Artha Tatwa.

Sahoo claimed in his petition that he had given Rajkishore Rs one lakh for investment in Artha Tatwa after he assured that the money would be doubled in two years and interest paid at 20 per cent per annum. But he did not give any receipt note, official sources said.

The commission of inquiry is expected to identify the individuals and entities who have indulged in unauthorised collection of public deposits in the state and to probe and bring out involvement of influential persons, bureaucrats and other sections of the society, if any, in protecting or promoting such illegal activities.

The commission had received about eight lakh envelops each containing one or more affidavits in response to the notification issued by it on August 4, seeking information on affidavits from persons having any knowledge about “unauthorised collection of public deposits in the state”.

As things stand today the commission has been able to open around one lakh of the eight lakh envelops/ packets of affidavits received by October 31.

Inventory of the affidavits had begun, but less than 4,000 affidavits had been registered so far in manual process.

Plans are under way to develop a database of the more than eight lakh affidavits received with software programmers to ensure the inquiry to be thorough, fast and useful. State information and technology department’s Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) will soon provide the necessary software programmers for creating the database.

The state government had appointed Justice R.K. Patra, a retired judge of the high court as head of the commission of inquiry on July 9, to submit a report within three months.

Later the government had granted six months extension.