Patna,(BiharTimes): Former RJD MP R K Rana and ex-BJP MLA Dhruv Bhagat - were on Monday sentenced to five years jail by the court of special CBI judge Sitaram Prasad in Ranchi in the fodder scam case.

Two former officials of Animal Husbandry department, Om Prakash Diwakar and Ajit Kumar Sinha, were also sentenced to six years imprisonment in the same case.

Six other treasury department officials and one fodder supplier were also sentenced to jail terms by the special court in this case. It had convicted them on May 31 but pronounced sentence on Monday.

The special court also imposed a fine of Rs two lakh on Rana, Bhagat, Diwakar and Sinha. On default they should undergo a further three months imprisonment.

Bhagat, as the BJP MLA, was the then chairman of Public Accounts Committee of undivided Bihar in early 1990s. Rana was an MLA of the then Janata Dal and went on to become an RJD MP from Khagaria in Bihar.

Diwakar was the then Regional Director (Animal Husbandry Department) while Sinha is a former Mobile Veterinary officer.

The treasury department officials who were sentenced include Rakesh Kumar Sinha (ex-treasury officer) and B B Prasad (ex-accountant). Rajesh Kumar Sinha (fodder supplier), along with them, was also sentenced to five years imprisonment.

On the other hand Balkrishna Dubey (ex-treasury accountant), Bhanu K Dubey (ex-treasury-assistant) and Naresh Prasad Sinha (fodder supplier) were sentenced to four years jail terms.

The case, RC33A/96, was registered in connection with fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37 lakh from Godda treasury between November 1995 and January 1996 against a budget of only Rs one lakh for that fiscal.