12 officials get five years’ jail in fodder scam case

RANCHI - A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here Thursday awarded four to five years’ rigorous imprisonment to 12 officials and slapped a fine of Rs.1 lakh each for their role in the fodder scam of 1996.

Special CBI judge A.H. Ansari had Monday convicted 52 people in a case related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.20 crore from the Doranda treasury of Ranchi. On Thursday, the CBI court awarded five years in jail to seven officials and a four-year jail term each to five officials belonging to the animal husbandry department (AHD) and the Doranda treasury of Ranchi.

Of the 12 officials, seven belong to the animal husbundary department and the rest five to the Doranda treasury office.

Till Thursday, the court has sentenced 40 people and said the quantum of sentence against the remaining found guilty will be pronounced Friday.

The multi-million fodder scam surfaced in 1996 when Bihar was undivided. A total 61 cases were transferred to Jharkhand after it was carved out from Bihar in November 2000. The special CBI courts have passed judgments in 32 cases.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra are accused in five cases and the trial in the cases is under way in CBI courts of Ranchi.