Cuttack, Oct. 13: Orissa High Court today directed the state vigilance to produce before it the diary related to the case registered against former director-general of police (DGP) Prakash Mishra, who is now the special secretary, internal security, at the Centre. The court also restrained the vigilance to take any action against him in the case.

The court issued the direction on a petition filed by Mishra challenging the case by the state vigilance on September 20 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case pertained to the Odisha State Police Housing Board of which Mishra was the chairman-cum-managing director between 2006-2009.

The decision of the state government to register a case against the 58-year-old IPS officer of the 1977 batch had raised eyebrows in various circles as Mishra is being tipped to become the next CBI chief.

After the vigilance registered a case against him on September 20 last, Mishra had told The Telegraph: “It is an act of vendetta (by the state government) designed to scuttle my chances of becoming the CBI chief. I had never imagined that they would stoop so low to prevent an Odia officer from becoming the CBI chief.”

He had asserted that there was no mention of his name in the audit report on the basis of which the case was registered. The vigilance department had never summoned him to present his case, he said.

He had also sought to know that if there was a vigilance inquiry pending against him, how did the state government make him the DGP of the state.

Mishra had curt short his central deputation in 2012 when the state government made him the DGP. In July 2014, he went on central deputation after the state government had unceremoniously shifted him to the state’s road and transport corporation.

The vigilance case pertained to alleged undue favours to different steel and cement suppliers during his tenure as head of the Odisha State Police Housing Corporation between 2006 and 2009.

While seeking the court’s direction calling for the records related to the case, Mishra, in his petition, has also sought a stay order on investigation.

The single judge bench of Justice S.C. Parija today posted the matter to October 29 for hearing, along with the case diary and reply of the state vigilance. The state vigilance had registered the graft case alleging that undue favours were shown by way of making 100 per cent payments of Rs 57.86 crore prior to the supply of materials within stipulated period.