Special CBI Court of Shivpal Singh is likely to pronounce judgment in another fodder scam case- 38A/96- related to Dumka treasury on March 15. Hearing in the fodder scam case involving 31 accused persons, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad and former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra was completed on Monday and March 15 was fixed as the next date.

Prasad was produced before the Special CBI Court of Shiv Pal Singh through video conferencing on Monday.

“After completing the legal processes in the case, the Special CBI Court has fixed March 15 as the date for judgment. The prosecution in this case has alleged that Rs 3.76 crore was withdrawn against an actual allotment of Rs1.5 lakh with the help of 96 fake vouchers in financial year 1995-96 from Dumka treasury,” said defense counsel Sanjay Kumar. The FIR in the matter was lodged by Police in the year 1996, but the case was later handed over to CBI to investigate into the matter following directions from the Supreme Court, he added.

“Initially, a total of 48 persons were made accused in the case out of which 14 persons died during the trial and two of them -- Rameshwar Chaudhary and Dr Sayeed, were made government approvers in the case,” said Kumar. The first chargesheet was filed in the court in May 2000, he added.

Criminal proceeding against another accused the then Divisional Commissioner of Dumka SN Dubey, however, was stopped after a quashing order was passed by the Jharkhand High Court.

List of accused persons include five top politicians – former Bihar Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra, then Chairmen of Public Accounts Committee Dhruv Bhagat and Jagdish Sharma, former MP RK Rana and former Bihar Minister Vidyasagar Nishad along with three IAS officers Beck Julius, MC Subarno and PC Singh.

Prasad is presently lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail after a special CBI Court of Shiv Pal Singh on January 6, pronounced 3.5 years’ jail and also slapped a fine of Rs 10 lakh for him in fodder scam case RC64A/96, related to fraudulent withdrawal of over Rs 89 lakh from Deoghar Treasury with the help of 6 fake allotment letters during 1991 to 1994.

A total of six cases were lodged against Lalu Prasad out of which he has already been convicted in three cases.