In a major relief to Prakash Mishra, former Orissa DGP and special secretary in the ministry of home affairs, the Orissa High Court in its interim order on We said the vigilance case lodged by the Orissa government would not be a hinderance to his promotion or future posting. Hearing the petition by Mishra seeking quashing of the vigilance FIR against him, justice SC Parija also ordered that no coercive action be taken against him till the case is adjudicated. The court also asked the state government to submit the case diary of the FIR lodged against Mishra. The interim order comes as a relief as the Centre is all set to meet next week to decide on the appointment of the next CBI director. Among all the names being considered for the the post of CBI director, the 1977-batch officer is the seniormost and tipped as a favourite. On September 20, the Bhubaneswar vigilance division had registered a case against Mishra under section 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and section 409 and 120-B of Indian Penal Code alleging during his tenture as CMD of Orissa Police Housing and Welfare Corporation, advance payment of Rs 59 crore was given some steel and cement suppliers in 2009 against existing rules. Mishra, a 1977-batch officer, was chairman cum managing director of OPHWC between 2006 and 2009, in the rank of additional DGP. After the the FIR was filed, Mishra shot back at State government asking if the government found him ‘extremely corrupt’ between 2006 and 2009, why did it bring him back from central deputation to make state police chief in June 2012. The senior IPS officer, who is in the race for becoming next CBI director after retirement of Ranjit Sinha, this month filed criminal miscellaneous petition seeking quashing of the vigilance FIR. Mishra has alleged that the FIR was a conspiracy to prevent him from being shortlisted for the post of next director of CBI later this year. Sources said there were moves in the state government to initiate departmental proceedings against Mishra so as to throw spanners on his way of becoming next CBI chief.
