A Special CBI Court of Ranchi has held RJD Supremo and MP Lalu Prasad is held guilty a case related to the fodder scam along with 44 other accused including former Chief Minister of Bihar Dr. Jaganath Mishra and they have been taken into judicial custody. The quantum of punishment would be pronounced on 3rd October through video conferencing, for which argument would be held tomorrow. Our Ranchi Correspondent reports that the present case related to illegal withdrawal of 37 crores and 70 lakhs rupees from Chaibasa government treasury. Among the convicted today, eight have been sentenced from one year to three years of imprisonment along with fine of 50 thousands to 50 lakhs Rs. They include two politicians -Vidya Sagar Nishad and Dhurv Bhagat, one IAS officer and five suppliers. Mr. Lalu Prasad is accused in five other cases of Fodder Scam which occurred in undivided Bihar during the first seven years of 1990s.
The infamous fodder scam came into light because one thousand cores of rupees were illegally withdrawn from various government treasuries, mostly from districts that are now in Jharkhand. Here withdrawals were made exceeding allocations by many times and by producing fake bills. This happened by prolonged criminal collusion of government officers of Animal Husbandry department and contractors and suppliers with the blessings and connivance of political masters. The scam was followed by few activists, among whom Mr. Saryu Rai is most notable.