Fodder Scam
The Fodder Scam was a corruption scandal that involved the embezzlement of about ₹940 crore (equivalent to ₹48 billion or US$550 million in 2023) from the government treasury of the north Indian state of Bihar.The corruption scheme involved the fabrication of "vast herds of fictitious livestock" for which fodder, medicines and animal husbandry equipment was supposedly procured.[8] Besides the magnitude and duration of the theft, the scam was and continues to be covered in Indian media due to the extensive nexus between tenured bureaucrats, elected politicians and businesspeople that it revealed,[9] and as an example of the Mafia Raj that has penetrated several state-run economic sectors in the country.[11] The scam had its origins in small-scale embezzlement by some government employees submitting false expense reports, which grew in magnitude and drew additional elements, such as politicians and businesses, over time, until a full-fledged mafia had formed.In 1990 the executive committee of Bihar Veterinary Association was changed and Dr Dinneshwar Prasad Sharma was made the General Secretary of BVA.[17] The then charismatic yet 'native' leader Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Chief Minister of undivided Bihar, where the then finance commissioner V S Dubey stumbled upon the financial irregularities of a massive scale.In 1992, then Police Inspector Bidhu Bhushan Dvivedi who was with the state vigilance department submitted a detailed report highlighting the inclusion of high-profile persons including Chief Minister and others.[18] He followed it up on 20 January 1996 by despatching one of his additional secretaries to make an enquiry of the excessive drawls of money by Animal Husbandry department from Ranchi treasury.Jha, an associate director of Public Affairs, is currently working with anti-corruption crusader and good governance promoter Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament.[23] On the same day, a businessman, Harish Khandelwal, who was one of the accused was found dead on train tracks with a note that stated that he was being coerced by the CBI to turn witness for the prosecution.On 8 May 2017, In a major set back for RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Supreme Court has ordered separate trials in all four cases registered against him in the Rs.The governor, A. R. Kidwai, was accountable to the federal government, and had already stated that he would need to be satisfied that strong evidence against Lalu existed before he would permit a formal indictment to proceed.[30] Also, on 21 June, fearing that evidence and documentation that might prove essential in further exposing the scam were being destroyed, the CBI conducted raids on Lalu's residence and those of some relatives suspected of complicity.[31] On 23 June, the CBI filed chargesheets against Lalu and 55 other co-accused,[32] including Chandradeo Prasad Verma (a former union minister), Jagannath Mishra (former Bihar chief minister), two members of Lalu's cabinet (Bhola Ram Toofani and Vidya Sagar 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).[47][48] On 30 June, the federal government issued orders to transfer Singh out of the CBI and into the Home Ministry as a Special Secretary,[46] which was technically a promotion but also had the effect of removing him from the investigation.[54] The next year, on 28 October 1998, he was rearrested on a different conspiracy case relating to the fodder scam, at first being kept in the same guest house, but then being moved to Patna's Beur jail when the Supreme Court objected.After the trial court in Chhattisgarh acquitted Amit Jogi in May 2007, for over three-and-a-half years, the CBI again (similar to Lalu's DA case) did not file any appeal.[68] Former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad was sentenced to five years in jail in a fodder scam case by a special CBI court on 3 October 2013.The 65-year-old leader has lost his Lok Sabha seat and is also barred from contesting election for six years following the sentencing due to an earlier Supreme Court order.For making a strong against case against the politicians and the bureaucrats, CBI launched the prosecution against majority of the officials including lower level staffs, which did not have any nexus with the scam.On 24 January 2018 the court passed judgement for the third case and has awarded a five-year jail term and imposed a fine of ₹10,00,000/- (INR One Million) on Lalu Prasad Yadav.[76] In 2021, Indian web series Maharani was loosely based on this scam and subsequently Rabri Devi was made the Chief Minister of Bihar.
Lalu Prasad YadavembezzlementtreasuryChief Minister of BiharJagannath MishraIndian National CongressJanata Dalanimal husbandrybureaucratsMafia Rajconvictedchief ministerComptroller and Auditor General of IndiaT. N. ChaturvediJharkhand High Courtdeputy commissionerWest SinghbhumAmit KhareVijai Shankar DubeyChaibasaCentral Bureau of Investigationpublic interest litigationSupreme Court of IndiaPatna High CourtBihar Legislative Councilprivilege motioncontempt of courtU. N. BiswasGovernor of BiharA. R. KidwaiInder Kumar GujralH. D. Deve Gowdacoalitionchargesheetanticipatory bailChandradeo Prasad VermaCongressBharatiya Janata PartySupreme CourtDirector General of PoliceRashtriya Janata Dalvote of confidenceRabri DeviJharkhand Mukti MorchaHD Deve GowdaDeve GowdaJharkhandIndian Penal CodePrevention of Corruption Act, 1988disproportionate assetsapproverschargesheetedGovernment of BiharGovernment of ChhattisgarhAjit JogiAmit JogiChhattisgarh High CourtCode of Criminal Procedure, 1973Member of ParliamentRabindra Kumar RanaMember of Legislative AssemblyRanchiIndian parliamentLok SabhaMaharaniCorruption in IndiaList of political scandals in IndiaThe Times of IndiaScandals in India1948 Jeep scandal1992 Indian stock market scam2010 housing loan scam2013 Indian helicopter bribery scandal2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing and betting case2013 Kerala solar panel scam2015 Cash for Vote scam2016 Bihar school examination scandal2020 Kerala gold smuggling case2G spectrum caseAavin scamAdarsh Housing Society scamAJL-National Herald Panchkula land grab caseBarak Missile scandalBelekeri port scamBofors scandalCash-for-votes scandalColour TV caseConcerns and controversies over the 2010 Commonwealth GamesDIAL ScamDLF land grab caseDMAT scamFatwas for cash scandalFreedom 251 scamGarhi Sampla Uddar Gagan land caseGurgaon kidney scandalGurugram Rajiv Gandhi Trust land grab caseGranite scamHaryana Forestry caseHaryana Raxil drug purchase caseHawala scandalIndian coal allocation scamINX Media caseJalgaon housing scamKargil coffin scamKarnataka Wakf Board Land scamMadhya Pradesh Scholarship scamMaharashtra Irrigation scamNagarwala caseNarada sting operationNSE co-location scamNSEL casePalarivattom Flyover ScamPalmolein Oil Import scamPunjab National Bank scamPurulia arms drop caseRailway bribery scamSaradha Group financial scandalSatyam scandalScorpene deal scamSNC-Lavalin Kerala hydroelectric scandalSonepat-Kharkhoda IMT land caseSSC scamTA/DA scamTaj corridor caseTANSI land acquisition caseUttar Pradesh food grain scam