Bibhu Prasad Acharya, the 1983 batch IAS officer, who has been in the dock over his role in Emaar scam, is a man of many parts. Hailing from Orissa, Acharya has had a brilliant academic record. He is a writer, cartoonist and a keen researcher of history.

His wife Ranjeev Acharya is also a senior IAS officer and presently Principal Secretary, Finance Department.

The senior officer who enjoyed plum posts throughout his career, regarded highly by successive Chief Ministers for his competence and respected by peers for his honesty has been taken into custody by CBI inquiring into Emaar scam.

Acharya was named as accused number one in the case in which the state government is reported to have suffered revenue of about Rs 4,000 crore to the exchequer. He is the fourth person to be arrested in the case.

He completed his schooling and graduation at Bhubaneswar, Orissa, and topped the University in the Intermediate Examination, as well as in B A (Hons.) in Political Science and History. He was awarded the Chancellor’s Cup as the Best Debater (English) of Utkal University in the year 1978, and was a National Scholarship holder from 1975.

He did his M A in International Studies (Politics) from Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi), which he topped, and has an M Phil from the Center for Diplomatic Studies, School of International Studies, JNU (New Delhi).

He also worked as Editor with internationally famous authors Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre (of Freedom at Midnight fame) for editing the personal papers of Lord Mountbatten (Mountbatten and Partition of India).

In 1983, Acharya was selected for the Indian Administrative Service. He was awarded the Director’s Medal for the best term paper in Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration as an IAS probationer. He worked as Secretary of the House Journal Society and Editor of the Journal ‘Spectrum’.

He underwent training as Assistant Collector in Chittoor District in 1984-85, and later served  in Bhadrachalam  and Warangal.   He brought out important publications on the cultural heritage of the Kakatiyas, on behalf of INTACH. While he was Managing Director, AP Travel & Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) in 1993, he commissioned the Son-Et-Lumiere at the Golconda Fort.

He had also stints as Director, Marketing,  as Special Commissioner, Information and Public Relations Dept., as Commissioner for Relief,  as Managing Director, AP Dairy Development Coop. Federation, as  Secretary, Industries & Commerce Dept, and as  as Managing Director, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

He was the Managing Director of APIIC from May 2005 (and was designated as Chairman & Managing Director of APIIC from 7th June 2007) till December 2009. He was later Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department. Currently, Acharya is Principal Secretary, Home Department.

Acharya’s hobbies include painting, cartoons & caricatures and poetry. One of his cartoons, entitled ‘Obtuse Angle,’ was published regularly in ‘Money Life’, IAS bulletin. His poems have been published in Triveni and other journals.

As the District Collector of Warangal, according to his bio, he conducted a Kakatiya Festival, and also helped in bringing publications on the cultural heritage of the Kakatiyas, engineering & technical achievements of the Kakatiya period, and a Telugu publication on the literary treasures of the Kakatiya period. He was responsible for starting the Sound & Light show at the Thousand Pillar Temple and Fort at Warangal, and also for the completion of the construction of Pothana Memorial in the region.

As MD of the Tourism Development Corporation, he commissioned the Sound & Light show at Golconda fort, and conducted the Golconda festival. When he was the Commissioner, Information & Public Relations, he undertook initiatives for designing the trophy for the NTR National Award, as well as the logo for the Janmabhoomi programme.

He was a Member of the Jury for the International Cartoon competitions conducted by Cartoonists’ Forum. As CMD, APIIC, he took steps for installing artistic sculptures titled “Technology for the Masses” in different Industrial Parks of the State. As a member of the Kalinga Cultural Trust, he coordinated the construction of the Jagannath Temple in Banjara Hills.