The Odisha government has terminated the services of probationary Odisha Revenue Service officer Manisha Mishra after her arrest in an alleged Rs 7,000 bribery case linked to land registration and the issuance of a sale deed in Balasore district.
Mishra, a 2022-batch ORS officer serving as sub-registrar at Baliapal, was caught by officials of the Odisha Vigilance directorate on November 6 while allegedly accepting the money from a complainant, according to the report and an order issued by the state Revenue and Disaster Management Department.
The alleged bribe was demanded to facilitate the registration of land and issuance of a sale deed. These services are handled through the sub-registrar system, which is a critical administrative interface for property buyers, sellers and families seeking to formalise land transactions.
Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari said the government continued to follow a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. The minister’s statement followed the departmental action against Mishra, whose termination came within days of the alleged trap operation and arrest by the Vigilance directorate.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department Arabinda Kumar Padhee said Mishra had joined government service as a trainee reserve officer in December 2024 and was appointed sub-registrar at Baliapal in December 2025. She had not completed her two-year probation period when the department issued the termination order.
The order described the alleged conduct as “gross misconduct” and “personal immorality” and held that it directly violated the Odisha Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1959. The appointing authority also cited the seriousness of the allegations and their impact on public confidence while concluding that her continuation in government service would be “highly detrimental to public interest”.
The case places the functioning of land-registration offices under renewed scrutiny because these offices control a legally significant step in property transactions. A delay or demand for an unofficial payment can affect the completion of sales, the issuance of registered documents and the ability of citizens to establish formal ownership records. The supplied report does not provide details of the complainant, the Vigilance case number or the next court proceedings.
The termination order is an administrative action taken while the criminal allegations remain connected to the Vigilance investigation and arrest. The state government’s stated next step is to enforce the order against the probationary officer, while the legal process arising from the alleged acceptance of the bribe will proceed separately.
