Bhubaneswar, June 24: Orissa High Court today rejected the anticipatory bail application of Motilal Gauda, the suspended assistant director of factories and boiler (medical), a unit of the labour department.
He has been accused of siphoning off money from various industrial houses in the state on the pretext of getting their employees' health check-ups done.
With the rejection of his bail, Gauda's arrest by the crime branch is imminent. Gauda had moved the high court on June 13 seeking anticipatory bail. Advocate Janmejaya Katikia presented the government's arguments today opposing his anticipatory bail plea. The single-judge bench of Justice J.P. Das rejected the bail plea.
Gauda had allegedly created a fake gazette notification authorising five clinics in the state to conduct the medical check-ups of the employees of 580 "hazardous industrial units".
He had mailed the forged notification to the industrial units and allegedly forced them to send their employees to those clinics to get their medical check-ups done. He even managed to make an agreement with Nalco to get the check-up of its employees done. A contract order worth Rs 63 lakh was issued and Gauda managed to take Rs 13 lakh from this.
What is more interesting is that Motilal Gauda, who has been declared an absconder by the state health department, managed to work with the labour department. "How could be it possible? Every department requires a police verification report. We don't know how Gauda managed to suppress the report," said a senior government official.
Secretary of the health and family welfare department Arti Ahuja said: "We are examining the issue. Now, police verification is mandatory before the joining of any doctor in any government department."
The Opposition alleged that because of his political connections with senior BJD leaders, including panchayati raj minister Arun Sahu, BJD student youth wing president Byomokesh Ray, MLA Anubhav Patnaik and others, he had managed to influence the government decision and suppress any move against him. The BJP has issued photographs of Gauda with these leaders.
The students' wing of the Pradesh Congress today held a rally demanding that the case be handed over to the CBI. They also burnt effigies of minister Sahu and some other BJD leaders.
Student Congress leader Itish Pradan said: "The government should explain how a doctor declared absconder was appointed as assistant director in another department. It would not have been possible without the support of the BJD MLAs and a minister. Gauda favoured them by giving them a share from his booty. We will not be satisfied with Gauda's arrest. We want the case to be transferred to the CBI."
Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said: "The Gauda case shows how the corruption has the hit the Naveen Patnaik government. The ruling party is protecting corrupt people. It is unfortunate that a minister and several ruling party MLAs and leaders are involved in this. The crime branch is not investigating in that direction." Mishra said the case should be handed over to the CBI or a special investigation team set up under judicial supervision to investigate the matter.
BJD spokesperson Shashi Bhushan Behera said: "The Opposition is unnecessarily politicising the issue. The crime branch is investigating the matter and anyone found guilty will be punished."
