Jharkhand High Court hears case regarding irregularities in Deoghar treasury

The Jharkhand High Court is currently hearing a case concerning illegal withdrawals from the Deoghar treasury linked to the Fodder Scam. The court is considering appeals filed by former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and other accused individuals. During the proceedings, testimonies and statements of former Deputy Collectors who were posted in Deoghar district during the relevant period were presented before the court. These witnesses provided detailed information regarding administrative processes and irregularities in the treasury between 1990 and 1995.

According to a report by Amer Ujala, the testimony of former Deputy Collector Sukhdev Singh was presented. Sukhdev Singh served as the Deputy Collector of Deoghar during 1993-94. He informed the court that he received a complaint in July 1993 from the General Secretary of the Bihar Anti-Corruption Campaign Union, alleging that officials of the Animal Husbandry Department had illegally passed bills from the treasury. Upon receiving the complaint, the Deputy Collector discussed the matter with the treasury officer and requested allotment letters from the District Animal Husbandry Officer. Despite sending repeated reminders, the necessary documents were not received, prompting him to write a letter to the Commissioner of Dumka on May 16, 1994, informing them of the entire matter and requesting the appointment of a magistrate if necessary. Following these events, the Deputy Collector was transferred. During cross-examination, the witness admitted that he had not conducted any investigation into excess withdrawals before receiving the complaint and that this was his first appointment as Deputy Collector in Deoghar.

The counsel for the appellants argued in court that the letters mentioned in Sukhdev Singh's testimony were never produced in court. However, the witness claimed that the details of these letters are recorded in Exhibit-28. The witness further stated that he was unaware of what action was subsequently taken on the magistrate's investigation report he had requested. The court also took on record the details of cross-examinations conducted by other accused, while some accused did not conduct cross-examinations.

The second witness in the case was R.K. Khandelwal, who served as the Deputy Collector of Deoghar from November 5, 1995, to June 11, 1996. He informed the court that an inquiry committee was formed in February 1996 following a fax from the Finance Department. This committee investigated withdrawals from 1980-81 to 1995-96. During cross-examination, he admitted that while the Deputy Collector is the head of the treasury, the daily operations are managed by the treasury officer. He further stated that the investigation report contained allotment details for only four years and that the final competent authority for the scrutiny of bills is the Accountant General.

Throughout this hearing, significant facts regarding administrative processes, the functions of the inquiry committee, and financial irregularities between 1990 and 1995 have emerged. The court will now proceed based on all these evidences and testimonies.

Lalu Prasad Yadav is a former Chief Minister of Bihar and is known as a leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. He has appeared as an accused in various cases linked to the Fodder Scam.