Ranchi: Labour Satyanand Bhokta appeared in the ACB Court Ranchi on Friday in connection with Agricultural Seed Scam case. The court framed charges against former agriculture officer Nistar Minj. With this, Special ACB Judge Prakash Jha fixed the next date of the case on 22 December.
The case is related to the seed scam in the year 2014. Minister Satyanand Bhokta had filed a discharge petition in the Seed Scam case. On this, the court asked him to appear in court and present his case. In light of this order of the court, the minister appeared in the court today. Earlier last month the Jharkhand High Court had imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him. When the charge sheet was filed in the seed scam Satyanand Bhokta was the Agriculture Minister.
At present he is the Minister of Labor and Employment. Between 2004 and 2007 there was a seed scam of more than Rs 46 crore. During this embezzlement was allegedly committed in the name of the purchase of seeds of a wheat gram and other cereals from some institutions.
Vineet Kachhap had lodged an FIR in this regard. Vineet had accused the Agriculture Minister and several other officials of the Agriculture Department of being involved in the seed scam. On the basis of this complaint in the year 2014 a charge sheet was filed against the then Agriculture Minister Satyanand Bhokta and others.
Satyanand Bhokta had filed a petition in the High Court saying that the investigation of this matter should not be extended further. The court expressed displeasure on this. Not only rejected the consumer’s petition he was also fined Rs 50,000. The minister was asked to deposit the amount of the fine in the account of Jharkhand State Legal Services.