Samrat Choudhary, deputy chief minister of Bihar. |Photo source: PTI
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said on Friday (28 March 2025) that the state government will withdraw its Rs 950 crore misappropriation through a feed scam, with RJD CEO and former chief minister Lalu Prasad being convicted.
Mr Choudhury, who also holds a financial portfolio, said the government will address the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the income tax department so that Bihar’s funds can be brought back to its finance ministry.
He asserted that legal action would be taken by confiscating the property of those involved in the feed scam.
“This is the decision of the court, whether it is Lalu Prasad or anyone else. No matter who is involved in the feed scam, their property, their property will be confiscated and the money will be deposited into the government’s finance ministry.”
He added: “The court has sentenced the culprit to this scam and has also ordered the confiscation of property. Now 29 years have passed, and the Supreme Court has also imposed punishment. According to the court’s order, the property will be confiscated and the government’s funds will be recovered.”
The feed scam (commonly known as Chaara Ghotala) handled cases related to the 1995-1996 MOFF funds for the livestock sector, reaching a reconciliation of about Rs 950 crore.
In total, the CBI examined 575 witnesses in this case and filed charges against 170 people. Mr. Prasad was first designated as the defendant in the case in the allegations filed by the CBI in June 1997. The CBI trial began in February 2002, with Mr. Prasad’s first conviction in September 2013 related to fraudulent evacuation of 37.70 crore in the case of Chaibasa Tearearury.
The feed scam was revealed in 1996, when Mr. Prasad was the chief minister. He faced five cases in total, and the last sentence was in February 2022, in the Doranda fiscal case, he was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling public funds for more than Rs 13.9 billion.
When the CBI submitted a fee form in 1997, Mr. Prasad resigned and made his wife, Rabri Devi, the state chief minister.
“Whoever cheats on the poor will definitely possess the property according to the scope of the law,” Nitin Nabin said in another leader and minister in the government.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said the process of confiscating Mr Prasad’s money should have begun a long time ago. “There is no need to confiscate money robbed by corrupt people like increasing their morale. The action should have been long so that people can learn lessons and dare not participate in corruption practices. His property should be confiscated through a quick trial in court.”
publishing – March 29, 2025 at 08:54 am
