Odisha Vigilance on Friday arrested 2019-batch Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) topper Aswini Kumar Panda on charges of corruption. Panda, currently posted as the tehsildar of Bamra in Sambalpur district, was held while allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 15,000 through his office driver in a land conversion case. It was for the conversion of agricultural land to homestead land.
Who is Aswini Kumar Panda?
Panda was born in 1992 in Khetrapal village of Jajpur district, Odisha. He studied at Jana Kalyan High School in Dharamshala before earning a BTech in Mechanical Engineering from a private college in Berhampur. After a brief work experience in Delhi, he changed his focus to civil services and cleared the Odisha Civil Services Examination in 2019. He not only cleared the coveted exam but also secured the top rank.
As per reports, Panda officially entered government service on December 30, 2021, as a Training Reserve Officer (TRO) in the office of the Balasore Collector. He was later posted as tehsildar of Shamakunta in Mayurbhanj district on June 1, 2023. He was then transferred to Bamra in Sambalpur district on July 1, 2025, where he continued to work at the time of his arrest.
What has happened?
The series of events that resulted in Panda’s fall started earlier this month. When the complainant applied for the conversion of the agricultural land into homestead land, Panda, as per the Vigilance officials, demanded Rs 20,000. When the complainant, in a letter, expressed his inability to pay such a huge amount as a bribe, he agreed to reduce the amount to Rs 15,000.
As per a report by The Indian Express, Vigilance officials made the trap after receiving the complaint. On September 12, Panda was caught allegedly taking the bribe through his driver, P Praveen Kumar, who was also held under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The entire bribe amount was recovered.
The Vigilance officials also conducted searches at Panda’s Sambalpur office, his accommodation at the PWD Inspection Bungalow, and his family home in Bhubaneswar. Investigators seized Rs 4.73 lakh in cash along with gold ornaments.