Key Points

IAS DHIMAN CHAKMA, who was suspended over a corruption case, has been reinstated back into service. The Odisha government took this decision almost a year after Chakma was suspended on June 10, 2025. A notification issued on May 21, 2026, brought the IAS officer back into service and posted him as Deputy Secretary in the Revenue and Disaster Management Department.

This decision comes amidst an ongoing investigation into the corruption charges against the officer, with the outcome still pending. However, the Odisha Government says that Chakma’s reinstatement doesn't mean that he’s acquitted of the charges. Both departmental inquiry and the criminal case are still underway, the state government maintained. 

As the news of his reinstatement makes its way on social media, senior officers and the state government have received backlash, with users mockingly labeling the move a “punishment reward.”

What was the corruption case involving IAS Dhiman Chakma?

A year prior, Dhiman Chakma, an IAS officer from the 2021-batch, was arrested by the Odisha’s Vigilance department on June 8, 2025. He was serving as the sub-collector of Dharmagarh in Kalahandi district at that time. He allegedly accepted a Rs 10 lakh bribe from a stone crusher operator. He was caught red-handed by the officials accepting the bribe at his government quarters and arrested. Investigations officials also recovered an additional Rs. 47 lakhs in cash during the search. 

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Two days after his arrest, Chakma faced departmental inquiry and was suspended on June 10, 2025. Later, the Odisha high court granted him bail on July 24, 2026.

A tip-off regarding Chakma’s alleged corrupt practices came when the stone crusher operator approached the Odisha Vigilance Department and alleged that Chakma had demanded a Rs. 20 lakhs bribe from him. Chakma also purportedly threatened official action against the operator if the bribe demand wasn't met. The complainant also presented a recording of the conversation as evidence.

State vigilance officials acted on the complaint, kept Chakma under surveillance, and orchestrated a trap to indict him. He was arrested on the spot by officers while accepting the bribe and was remanded to judicial custody.

Sources say that Chakma’s reinstatement is in accordance with service rules governing prolonged suspension periods. Both the departmental inquiry and the criminal case being heard by the Vigilance Court are continuing independently. 

Social media backlash

Chakma being reinstated into service under the Revenue and Disaster Management Department has drawn major ire online. Users are deeming the state’s government decision as “utterly shameful.” Some pointed out how ‘shuffling’ of administrative officers has become the norm rather than giving them apt punishment.

One user wrote, "Arrested, suspended, reinstated & now posted in revenue dept. Gets another opportunity to earn revenue."

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Another comment read, "IAS jobs are for life, no matter how corrupt you are."

A third post said, "Considering he was accused of taking a 10 Lakh bribe and some 47 lakhs of unaccounted cash was found on him, this is the ideal posting for him as he definitely knows creative ways of increasing revenue."

Another user commented, ”The Revenue Department is exactly where this becomes systemic, not ironic. Just look at the volume of real-estate and cash-intensive transactions that intersect with revenue administration. The bureaucracy rarely destroys its own. When officers are caught, they are often reshuffled rather than removed. The question is what deterrent remains if serious misconduct is followed by another influential posting.” 

A user questioned the decision and posted, “Is this the system we want? As a punishment, one gets transferred to just do it again. Aren’t we supposed to make examples out of them so that a message is sent down the line that this is not accepted? I think IAS, IPS, and IFS officers are the only people who get transferred as a punishment, whereas in all other sectors, including defense, individuals get arrested, court-martialed, demoted, or thrown out of service. Is this what we want as part of our Viksit Bharat?”

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