Ranchi: The special CBI court in Ranchi has convicted former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in the case of illegal withdrawal of 139.5 crores from Doranda Treasury. This is the fifth case related to the fodder scam in which the court has found him guilty. Earlier, in the four fodder scam cases, the court has sentenced Lalu Prasad Yadav to a total of 27 and a half years, while he also had to pay a fine of one crore rupees. In this fifth case of the famous fodder scam, an FIR was lodged in the year 1996 at Doranda police station in Ranchi. Later the CBI took over the case. In case no. RC-47A/96, initially there were a total of 170 accused. Of these, 55 accused have died, while seven accused have been made government witnesses by the CBI. The two accused accepted their guilt even before the court’s verdict came. Six accused are absconding till date.
During the hearing of this case, a total of 575 people were testified on behalf of the prosecution in the Special Court of CBI, while 25 witnesses were presented on behalf of the defense. During the hearing of this case, a total of 15 trunk documents were produced by the CBI in the court. In this scam in the Animal Husbandry Department, crores of rupees were illegally withdrawn in the name of transporting animals like a bull, buffalo, cow, heifer, goat and sheep and fodder for them in a fake manner. The vehicles through which the details of transporting animals and their fodder were recorded in the government documents were found to be fake during the investigation. The number of vehicles from which the animals were told to be transported, the numbers of those vehicles turned out to be scooters, mopeds, motorcycles.
These fodder scam cases are from 1990 to 1996. The CAG (Chief Auditor) of Bihar had sent this information to the state government from time to time but the government did not pay heed. The CBI produced documents in favor of the allegation in the court that Lalu Yadav, who was the chief minister, did not take any action in the matter even though he was aware of the whole matter. For many years he himself was also the finance minister of the state, and it was only on his approval that the base amount was withdrawn on the basis of fake bills. The RJD supremo had to go to jail more than half a dozen times due to conviction in four cases of fodder scam. In all these cases, he has got bail from the High Court.
