The Fodder Scam was a corruption scandal that involved the misappropriation of funds about Rs 89 lakh from Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994 in Bihar. Among those implicated in the theft were former Chief Minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, as well as former Chief Minister, Jagannath Mishra. The scandal led to the end of Lalu’s resignation as Chief Minister. There is also allegation on Dr.Dineshwar Prasad Sharma of receiving 300 crores and 60 lakh Rupees respectively from S. N. Sinha. A special CBI court here will pronounce its judgement in the fodder scam. In case you don’t know what is the fodder scam, here is all you need to know:
The theft spanned for many years, and allegedly involved numerous Bihar state’s administrative and elected officials across multiple administrations of the Indian National Congress and the Janata Dal parties.
The corruption scheme involved the fabrication of “vast herds of fictitious livestock” for which fodder, medicines and animal husbandry equipment was supposedly procured. Although the scandal broke in 1996, the theft had been in progress, and increased in size, for over two decades.
There are 34 persons accused in this particular case, including the RJD chief and former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra.
Lalu was earlier sentenced to five years in jail and fined Rs 25 lakh for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.5 crore from the Chaibasa treasury. The Supreme Court granted him bail in December 2013.
The size and duration of the theft, the scam was and continues to be covered in Indian media due to the extensive nexus between tenured bureaucrats, elected politicians and businesspeople that it revealed and as an example of the mafia raj that has penetrated several state-run economic sectors in the country.
In 2014, the Jharkhand high court stayed the trial against Lalu in four of the pending cases on the ground that a person convicted in one case could not be tried in similar cases based on same witnesses and evidence. The order, however, was quashed by the apex court, which ordered Lalu to stand trial in all pending fodder scam cases in which he was an accused.
The other accused in the case include former Bihar minister Vidya Sagar Nishad, former Public Accounts Committee chairmen Jagdish Sharma and Dhruv Bhagat. A charge sheet was filed against 38 persons on October 27, 1997.
The accused in the scam are facing charges under IPC sections 120B, 409, 418, 420, 467, 468, 471, 477 (A), 201 and 511 and under Prevention of Corruption Act section 13 (1) D, read with 13 (2). The order was reserved on December 13. Lalu faces three other fodder cases.