At the end of a 16-year-long trial, a Central Bureau of Investigation court here on Thursday convicted 69 people charged in the multi-crore-rupee fodder scam, but released 16 others who were found not guilty. It will decide cases against others on May 7.
Judge Ganpati Tiwari sentenced 29 people, including treasury officials and fodder suppliers, to one to three years imprisonment. They have also to pay fines ranging from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 2 lakh.
The case relates to fraudulent withdrawal of around Rs. 47.5 crore from the Doranda Treasury in the 1990s.
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This is the 44th among 53 fodder scam cases that were transferred to Jharkhand out of 61 cases filed in Bihar in 1990. Out of the 111 accused, some died during the trial period while others turned prosecution witnesses. Till now, different CBI courts in Ranchi have passed judgment in 41 cases. A sum of Rs. 900 crore was mentioned as being involved in the cases registered.
The fodder scam, which broke out in 1996, forced Lalu Prasad to quit as Chief Minister; he was accused in five cases. An arrest warrant was issued against him in 1996. The former Bihar Chief Minister, Jagannath Mishra, was also involved.