The Timeline of Multi Crore Fodder Scam

Fodder Scam relates to several cases of embezzlement of amount totalling over Rs 950 Crores from Government Treasury in undivided Bihar during 1980s.

It involved the fabrication of  vast herds of fictitious livestock for which fodder, medicines and animal husbandry equipment was supposedly procured. The Scam included several Politicians cutting across party lines and over 500 Bureaucrats.

The Case officially broke  in 1996, however media reports related to the Scam have been circulating since 1985. A total 63 cases were registered in the scam and 41 were transferred to Jharkhand after it was created from Bihar in November 2000.

The  Scam involves alleged embezzlement of over Rs 950 Crores meant for Fodder for Animals

Here is a composite Timeline of the Scam as compiled from various sources.

1985: In February 1985, the then Comptroller and Auditor General of India, T.N. Chaturvedi, took notice of delayed monthly account submissions by the Bihar state treasury and departments and wrote to the then Bihar chief minister, Chandrashekhar Singh, warning him that this could be indicative of temporary embezzlement.

1992: In 1992, Bidhu Bhushan Dwivedi, a police inspector with the state’s anti-corruption vigilance unit submitted a report outlining the fodder scam and likely involvement at the Chief ministerial level to the director general of the same vigilance unit, G. Narayan

January 27, 1996: On 27 January 1996, the deputy commissioner of West Singhbhum district, Amit Khare, acted on information to conduct a raid on the offices of the animal husbandry department in the town of Chaibasa in the district under his authority. The documents his team seized, and went public with, conclusively indicated large-scale embezzlement by an organised mafia of officials and businesspeople.

March 11, 1996: A public interest litigation was filed with the Supreme Court of India, which led to the court’s involvement,^[14] and based on the ultimate directions issued by the supreme court, on March 1996, the Bihar High Court ordered that the case be handed over to the CBI.

March 19, 1996: Supreme Court affirms PHC order, asks 2-member bench to monitor progress of investigation.

May 10, 1997: CBI makes a formal request to the federally-appointed Governor of Bihar to prosecute Lalu.

June 17, 1997: The Governor gives permission for Lalu and others to be prosecuted. Five senior Bihar government officials (Mahesh Prasad, science and technology secretary; K. Arumugam, labour secretary; Beck Julius, animal husbandry department secretary; Phoolchand Singh, former finance secretary; Ramraj Ram, former AHD director), the first 4 of whom were IAS officers, were taken into judicial custody on the same day.

June 23, 1997: On 23 June, the CBI filed chargesheets against Laloo and 55 other co-accused,  including Chandradeo Prasad Verma (a former union minister), Jagannath Mishra (former Bihar chief minister), two members of Laloo’s cabinet (Bhola Ram Toofani and Vidyasagar Nishad), three Bihar state assembly legislators (RK Rana of the Janata Dal, Jagdish Sharma of the Congress party, and Dhruv Bhagat of the Bharatiya Janata Party) and some current and former IAS officers (including the 4 who were already in custody). Later Jagannath Mishra was permitted bail.

July 30, 1997:  Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav surrenders before the Special CBI court.

May 10, 2000: Patna High Court grants provisional bail to Lalu which is extended on 25 occasions.

October 5, 2001: Most of the cases related to Fodder Scam was transferred to Jharkhand after separation of Jharkhand.

February, 2002: Trial begins in Ranchi special CBI court.

May 31, 2007: 58 people including Lalu’s nephews were convicted, and given terms of 5 to 6 years each. Among them were two former regional directors of the Animal Husbandry Department—Junul Bhringraj and Raja Ram—and four suppliers, namely Rakesh Mehra, Sanjay Kumar, Nagendra Yadav and Virendra Yadav.

March 1, 2012:  CBI court frames charges against former Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav and Jagannath Mishra, JD-U’s Jehanabad MP Jagdish Sharma and 31 others in  one of the case.

May 2013: The trial has completed in 44 cases out of a total of 53 cases

August 13, 2013: Supreme Court rejects Lalu Prasad’s plea seeking transfer of the trial court judge hearing the case.

September 17, 2013: Special CBI  court in Ranchi reserves judgement in fodder scam case.

September 30, 2013: A Special CBI Court in Ranchi convicted Lalu Prasad Yadav and Jagannath Mishra along with 44 others in the case. 37 People were taken into judicial custody. The court is expected to decide their punishment on October 3