Did CBI frame Mishra?

Three days after the CBI court acquitted former chief minister of Bihar Dr Jagannath Mishra in the fodder scam, the three-term chief minister said the premier investigating agency had distorted facts to frame him.

In a communique to  DH on Tuesday, Mishra, who also served as Union minister in the P V Narasimha Rao Cabinet, cited several instances of "distortion by the CBI" while framing him.

The CBI had accused Mishra of granting an extension to the late Shyam Bihari Sinha, the main accused in the fodder scam, and  granting promotion to  another accused Ram Raj Ram.

"The fact is that when Ram Raj Ram was promoted on September 23, 1988, I was not even the chief minister. I took charge as  chief minister in December 1989," said Mishra, adding that the CBI later termed the distorted fact a "typing error".

"Bhagwat Jha Azad was the  chief minister when Ram was promoted in 1988. But instead of his (Bhagwat Jha) name, the CBI included my father's name as an accused," Nitish, son of Jagannath Mishra, told DH.

Mishra said that as the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, he had pointed out at a press meet in Patna on June 4, 1993 that around Rs 1,200 crore had been withdrawn illegally from different government treasuries.

"But the CBI gave credit to the BJP MLA Sushil Modi for this disclosure and also mentioned that Modi raised the issue in the Assembly on June 25, 1993. This was another blatant lie by the CBI, as no Assembly sitting took place on June 25, 1993.

This can be verified through records," said the former chief minister.

"It was I, who, as leader of the Opposition, raised the issue in the Assembly about the illegal withdrawal of a huge sum  and asked for the dismissal of the Lalu government and imposition of financial emergency in Bihar in 1993.

"But the CBI, for reasons best known to it, framed me and charged me with having nexus with Lalu. It was a rubbish allegation," said Mishra, now relieved after the CBI court exonerated him in fodder scam case RC 64A/96 on December 23.

"In public life, politicians often make recommendations for transfers, posting and promotions. But these recommendations have no mandatory influence over the government. The CBI, which appeared to be biased against me, unnecessarily dragged my name, spread faslehood and damaged my reputation," said the former chief minister, who has now almost retired from politics.