37 sentenced to jail by the Special CBI Court in fodder scam case

April 18, 2018

A Special CBI court here on Wednesday sentenced 37 people to jail between 3 to 14 years in one of the many fodder scam cases, and also imposed a fine of up to Rs. 1 crore on many of them. According to a lawyer, 4 officials have been awarded up to 14 years' imprisonment. Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge Shivapal Singh pronounced the sentence on Wednesday, said a lawyer. The CBI court convicted 37 people in the fodder scam case related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs. 34.91 crore from Dumka between 1991-1992 to 1995-1996. This is the 51^st fodder scam case in which the CBI court has delivered the verdict. Moreover, the FIR was lodged against 72 people in total in 1996. The charges were framed against 60 accused in 2004. 14 accused died during the trial, 2 admitted their crime and 2 are absconding. The court on April 9 had convicted 37 and acquitted five accused. The fodder scam came to light in 1996 after an FIR was lodged against then Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad. Lalu Prasad has already been convicted in 4 such cases and serving the sentence. He was awarded 14 years of imprisonment on March 23. The former chief minister is at the moment undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi.