CBI files another chargesheet against Laloo

The court issued notices for appearance to RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav, former Bihar Ministers, C P Verma, Vidya Sagar Nishad, R K Rana who have already secured regular bail in this case.

The CBI chargesheet coincided the day RJD president Yadav was released on provisional bail for a period of three months from Beur jail following a Patna high court order.

Among others who were chargesheeted in the case include senior IAS officers, K Arumugam, Beck Julius, Phool Chand Singh, senior income tax official, A C Choudhury.

The case RC 38-a/96 relates to fraudulent withdrawals of more than Rs three crore from Dumka treasury by the state Animal Husbandry Department officials through fake and forged bills.

Other accused persons against whom the chargesheet was filed included some senior officials of the Animal Husbandry Department, Dumka range, and suppliers.

CBI filed the chargesheet under various sections of the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act accusing Yadav and Mishra in this case with having entered into criminal conspiracy, committed fraud and forgery, wilful negligence of duty.

The RJD president and some former Bihar ministers were granted regular bail in this case in October, 1997 as the CBI failed to file chargesheet within a mandatory period of 90 days of their judicial remand.

Yadav was remanded to judicial custody in this case too when he had surrendered before the designated CBI judge in July 26, 1997 following arrest warrant against him in the case no RC 20-a /96 relating to fraudulent drawals of more than Rs 37 crore from Chaibasa treasury.

The court issued production warrant against the accused who were presently in Beur jail in other cases of the scam.

Of the 47 cases of the fodder scam, the CBI has so far filed chargesheets in 34 while it has almost completed its investigation in other cases.

Of the seven of the cases involving the conspiracy angle, the CBI has so far shown Laloo’s involvement in four — RC 20-a/96, RC 64-a/96, RC 36-a/96 and RC 42-a/96 and in all the four cases Yadav has secured bail.

Of the seven disproportionate assets cases, offshoot of fodder scam, Laloo Yadav and Chief Minister Rabri Devi have been implicated in one case which charged the RJD chief with having accumulated wealth worth over Rs 42 lakh disproportionate to his known sources of income.