Odisha: Lecturer suspended after being arrested for misuse of documents

Jajpur: Officials said a college lecturer was suspended on Wednesday. He was arrested and jailed for allegedly misappropriating ₹32.07 lakh meant for a self-defense program for girls.

The suspension order was issued by Tapas Ranjan Dehury, Jajpur sub-collector and president of the governing body of Chitlo Degree Mahavidyalaya. Four days earlier, Odia lecturer Adwait Prasad Malik was arrested and jailed on January 2nd. A recommendation letter was sent to the Higher Education Department.

The order issued by the Jajpur sub-collector stated, “Following your remand to judicial custody… you are suspended immediately. The Principal Secretary of the Higher Education Department of the Odisha government has been requested to approve the suspension and make the necessary provisions for the suspension.”

Malik, the former principal of the college, has been booked under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 and sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Furthermore, Badri Narayan Ray, former president of the college’s governing body, was also arrested along with Malik by the Vigilance Department on January 2 on charges of misappropriation of government funds worth Rs 32,07,620 meant for self-defense programs for girls.