Fodder scam case: CBI court convicts 89, acquits 35

The fodder scam in which crores of rupees were fraudulently withdrawn from treasuries such as Doranda, Deoghar, Dumka and Chaibasa was exposed in the 1990s when Jharkhand was part of Bihar.

Ranchi: A Special CBI court here on Monday convicted 89 people in a case of the fodder scam and sentenced 53 of them to imprisonment of various terms, with the maximum being three years.

Thirty-five others were acquitted in the case by Special CBI judge Vishal Srivastav.

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Altogether 124 people were accused in the case which is related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 36.59 crore from Doranda treasury of undivided Bihar. The amount was withdrawn between 1990 and 1995.

Special Public Prosecutor of the CBI Ravi Shankar said that in the Doranda treasury case of the fodder scam, the court has acquitted 35 people while 89 others have been convicted.
Of the 89 convicts, 53 were sentenced to imprisonment of varied terms.

Hearing on the quantum of sentence for the remaining 36 would be held on September 1, the public prosecutor said.

He said that the statements of 600 witnesses were recorded in this case of the fodder scam while documentary evidence in 50,000 pages was also submitted.

The fodder scam in which crores of rupees were fraudulently withdrawn from treasuries such as Doranda, Deoghar, Dumka and Chaibasa was exposed in the 1990s when Jharkhand was part of Bihar.

RJD president and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad is one of the high-profile politicians who was convicted in the case. He is currently out on bail on the grounds of ill health.