Jharkhand ex-chief secretary jailed for 5 years in fodder scam

Ranchi: A CBI court on Wednesday sentenced former chief secretary of Jharkhand Sajjal Chakravarty to five years' imprisonment in a multi-million Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) scam, popularly known as fodder scam.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Court judge Shambhulal Sahu pronounced the quantum of sentence after hearing the arguments of the CBI and Chakravarty's counsel. The court also fined him Rs 4 lakh.

The court had on November 14 convicted Chakravarty in the case related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37 crore from Jharkhand's Chaibasa treasury.

As per the charge, Chakravarty was the Deputy Commissioner of West Singhbhum (Chaibasa) when the fraudulent withdrawal took place and he did nothing to prevent it. 

He accepted a laptop from fodder suppliers to maintain silence over the withdrawal.

Chakravarty was appointed the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand in October 2014 and removed from his post in January 2015.

The Rs 950-crore fodder scam surfaced in 1996 in undivided Bihar. The case was handed over to the CBI on the directive of the Patna High Court.

Lalu Prasad had to resign as Chief Minister of Bihar in 1997 following allegations of involvement in the fodder scam case. He was sent to jail and later convicted in another fodder case.