What happened
Odisha Police has summoned V. Karthikeya Pandian, a former Indian Administrative Service officer and close aide of former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in a probe into two missing files from the Chief Minister’s Office during the previous Biju Janata Dal government. Police asked him to appear before investigators with documents or electronic devices related to the case.
The missing records are reported to include two inquiry reports: one linked to the 2008 killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and another linked to a fire incident at SUM Hospital. Police also asked other former officials, including the then principal secretary and former information technology secretary, to provide information.
Background and earlier position
The case concerns official record custody inside a state chief minister’s office. In government administration, sensitive files are expected to be preserved, traceable, and available for lawful review. Missing records can therefore raise questions about procedure, oversight, and accountability.
Pandian’s role is politically significant because he moved from senior bureaucratic service into a position of close association with the previous Biju Janata Dal leadership. The present probe has widened from a missing-file issue into a question about the handling of important official documents in a politically sensitive environment.
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