Jailed IAS official gets bail in fodder scam

RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court on Friday granted bail to senior IAS official Sajjal Chakravarty, who is serving a prison sentence in a fodder scam, on medical grounds.

A single bench of RR Prasad of the court granted him bail.  

B.K. Sahay, special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge, had on July 25 pronounced the sentence against Chakravarty, who was awarded four years' rigorous imprisonment in the case.

The special CBI court on July 14 had convicted 64 people, including Chakravarty, who was Jharkhand transport secretary, in the case related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.390 million from the Chaibasa treasury in 1993-1994.

When the money was fraudulently withdrawn, Chakravarty was deputy commissioner of Chaibasa district. There were total 76 accused in the case. During trial, five accused died, four turned approvers, two accepted their crime and one is absconding.

After the CBI court passed its verdict against Chakravarty, he was suspended by the Jharkhand government on July 26.