26 get jail terms for fodder scam
A special CBI court on Thursday awarded jail terms, ranging from one to five years, to 26 people convicted in a case related to the multi-crore rupee fodder scam in which funds meant for buying cattle feed were embezzled in undivided Bihar.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge G K Singh held 26 people guilty in a case related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 67.5 lakh from Sahebganj district treasury from 1991 to 1993 and 1995 to 1996.
Of the 26 convicts, 10 are the animal husbandry department officials while the rest are suppliers. The court also slapped fine ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 million on the convicted persons.
On Tuesday, another CBI court had convicted 64 people in another case.
Two former Bihar chief ministers, Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra, are accused in five cases related to the scam. Their trial is continuing in CBI courts in Ranchi.
The fodder scam hit the headlines in the late 1990s in Bihar, where officials and politicians were accused of illegally withdrawing crores of rupees of public money in the guise of purchasing cattle fodder.
