PCMC chief engineer Pramod Obhase suspended after arrest in Rs 19,000 bribery case

Pramod Sudhakar Obhase, chief engineer of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, has been suspended. Municipal Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryavanshi took the action. The case involves a bribe of Rs 19,000. Obhase is alleged to have demanded a commission for signing the file of a Rs 38 lakh tender. Along with the suspension, the commissioner has also ordered a departmental inquiry against him. The action has caused a stir in the corridors of the corporation.

The case began with an investigation by the Pune unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The investigation found that Obhase had demanded a bribe. A case was then registered under the anti-corruption law at the Sant Tukaram Nagar police station on October 29, and Obhase was arrested. The court has sent him to judicial custody until November 14.

Against this background, the corporation issued the suspension order. The order is deemed to take effect from the day of the arrest, October 29, 2026.

A departmental inquiry will be initiated against Obhase under the Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1979. The commissioner has directed that a charge sheet be filed against him within 15 days. Once the charge sheet is filed, an inquiry officer and a presenting officer will be appointed immediately.

The order also lays down conditions for the period of suspension. Under the rules, Obhase will receive only a subsistence allowance during this period. He is strictly barred from taking up any private job or business. The order also says he cannot leave headquarters without prior permission from the competent authority.

Obhase is a senior "Class 1" officer of the corporation. Direct action against an official of such rank has prompted considerable discussion in the corporation. For now, a case has been registered, court proceedings are under way, and the final outcome of the departmental inquiry is awaited.