45 fodder accused convicted; RI for 14

A special CBI court on Friday convicted 45 accused and sentenced 14 of them to three years rigorous imprisonment in connection with a fodder scam case that was unearthed in the early 1990s.

Delivering the judgement, the court of AH Ansari also acquitted two accused in connection with the RC/57A/96 pertaining to fraudulant withdrawal of Rs 9.89 crore from Gumla treasury.

The court fixed April 27 to pronounce the quantum of punishment of the rest 31 convicts.

The special CBI court also slapped fines between Rs 15,000 to Rs five lakh against the 14. One of them is a former district animal husbandry official and others were fodder suppliers.

This was the 30th of the total 53 fodder scam cases to have been completed in conviction.

The about Rs 900 crore scam was unearthed during the former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad's regime, who is also one of the accused.