What is Fodder scam and what has happened since 1985?

On Saturday, the CBI court held Lalu Prasad Yadav guilty

Image: PTI/ FILE

New Delhi: On Saturday, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ranchi convicted Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam from Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994. The misappropriation of funds was of about Rs 89 lakh. The CBI court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on 3rd January 2018 and out of the six fodder scam cases registered against Lalu, this was the second in which verdict was pronounced. The fodder scam started with government employees transferring of some fake funds. This scam started on a small scale and eventually, big businesses and politicians also became a part of it. The theft spanned for many years which involved numerous Bihar state ministers. (Image: ABP Live) In 1985, TN Chaturvedi, the then Comptroller and Auditor General of India had warned of possible laundering of funds but the raid only happened in 1996 in Chaibasa. Shortly after that Patna High Court directed CBI to investigate the scam. Reportedly, the fodder scam is comprised of 64 individual cases. In 1997, a chargesheets was filed by CBI against Lalu Yadav and other co-accused. Rabri Devi and Lalu Prasad surrendered to a CBI court in 2000. (Pictures Courtesy- Facebook) By this time the state of Jharkhand was formed and the fodder scam 53 cases were transferred to Ranchi. In 2013, from the Chaibasa treasury, Lalu was sentenced to five years in jail and was fined Rs 25 lakh for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.5 crore. The Supreme Court granted him bail in December 2013. PTI IMAGE In 2017, minutes after former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad was convicted on Saturday in a fodder scam case by a special CBI court in Ranchi, the party announced that it will challenge the verdict in the high court.

#WATCH: Lalu Prasad Yadav outside Ranchi's Special CBI Court after being convicted in a #FodderScam case pic.twitter.com/hn6REkaizv

— ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2017