A case has been registered over the alleged disappearance of two important inquiry commission reports from the office of former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The case was filed by the Odisha Home Department after allegations surfaced that the reports went missing during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government’s tenure.
The controversy began after Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan claimed that two significant judicial commission reports had been “stolen” from the Chief Minister’s Office. He said the state government would take action against those found responsible.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that the government would investigate the matter and determine how the reports disappeared. The issue has triggered a political dispute between the ruling BJP and the opposition BJD.
The case related to the Justice AS Naidu Commission and Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central) or RCD (Central) inquiry reports was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections related to criminal breach of trust, concealment and destruction of documents, and criminal conspiracy against unknown people.Justice Naidu looked into the killing of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples by Maoists in August 2008 in Kandhamal, which triggered Hindu Christian riots and left 38 people dead.
“...the two reports were not returned from the CMO on June 4, 2024, and are presently untraceable. The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of these two reports, particularly when other files forwarded during the same period were returned, create a reasonable suspicion that the reports may have been intentionally removed, retained, concealed, destroyed, or otherwise unlawfully dealt with,” said home department joint secretary Sarat Chandra Marandi in the First Information Report filed in the case.
BJD Leaders have questioned the allegations and demanded clarity on which reports are missing. They have also asked how such important documents could disappear from the state secretariat.
The filing of the case is expected to lead a formal investigation into the disappearance of the reports and possible administrative lapses.
