12 get four to six years’ jail in fodder scam case

RANCHI - A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here Friday awarded four to six years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) to 12 people, including government officials and suppliers, in a case of the multi-million fodder scam.

Fines ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh were also slapped on them.

Special CBI Judge A.H. Ansari Monday had convicted 52 people in RC 46 A/96, related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.20 crore from Doranda treasury of Ranchi.

Sentencing in the case was completed Friday as all the 52 convicted accused were awarded jail terms ranging from three to six years.

The scam surfaced in 1996 during undivided Bihar and a total of 61 cases were transferred to Jharkhand after it was carved out from Bihar in November 2000. The special CBI courts have passed judgment in 32 cases.

Former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra are accused in five cases and the trials are going on in CBI courts of Ranchi.