By IANS
Ranchi : A special court here Wednesday awarded six years in jail and slapped a fine of Rs.10 million each on the three accused of the fodder purchase scam of the 1990s.
The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court pronounced its judgement in the case relating to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.62.9 million from the Chaibasa treasury during 1991-1992.
The court Tuesday convicted 43 people, including nine Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) officials and three Chaibasa treasury employees, for misappropriating of funds from the treasury.
The three who were sentenced to six years in jail and fined Rs.10 million are: Kirti Narayan Jha, then regional director, AHD, Ranchi; J. Bhengraj, then regional director, SC region, Ranchi; and Krishna Mohan Prasad, then assistant director (planning), AHD, Ranchi.
The other convicts were sentenced to five to six years in jail and fine of Rs.500,000 to Rs.4.5 million.
The multi-million-rupee fodder scam surfaced in 1996 – before Bihar was bifurcated to create Jharkhand. Of the total 63 cases lodged in the scam, 41 were transferred to Jharkhand. Railway Minister Lalu