Corruption Watch

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~-->]Fodder scam blow to Laloo
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Supreme Court has put a stop to all legal action against one of the approvers in the multi-crore fodder scam in which railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav is an accused.

Today’s judgment in the mid-1990s scam in Bihar’s animal husbandry department is a big setback for the minister.

In its judgment, a division bench of Justices S.. Variava and A.K. Mathur said approver Dipesh Chandak should not be proceeded against in any case till the fodder-scam trial ends. The bench said the approver should make a “full disclosure” about the scam.

<b>Chandak was one of the state government employees accused in the scam but the CBI, which was prosecuting the case, “pardoned” him after he turned approver. He has given evidence against Laloo Prasad. However, it is alleged that Laloo Prasad got the income tax department to conduct raids and initiated action against Chandak.</b>

The apex court stayed Chandak’s prosecution under the Income Tax Act “till trial of the cases in which pardon is granted is over”.

“If the appellant (Chandak) makes a full and complete disclosure, then, in our view, the prosecution should not be allowed to proceed,” it said.

“To get benefit of the pardon, the appellant has to make full and frank disclosure regarding the offences of misappropriation,” the judges said
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