Fodder Scam: Orissa HC Orders CBI To File FIR

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has directed CBI to register an FIR in the alleged corruption in the purchase and sale of cattle feed and take action as per law.

Justice BR Sarangi gave the order while disposing of a petition in the matter on Friday. The petition had sought the court’s intervention against alleged inaction by CBI on a written complaint by one Santosh Kumar Samal.

The judge said that CBI should register an FIR as the complaint related to corruption revealed cognisable offence.

In his complaint, Samal had sought a probe into the “embezzlement of huge amount of public money” in the purchase and sale of cattle feed by the Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd, Cuttack.

The union runs with financial assistance from the Odisha government for sale and purchase of cattle feed to assist farmers in producing more milk.

According to sources, Samal was the plant operator of the union and also store in-charge when a misappropriation of Rs 13 lakh was revealed during audit. Following this, disciplinary action was initiated against him.

On his part, Samal had accused senior officials of the union of implicating him to save themselves.

He had then sent a written complaint to CBI on October 29, 2019 and sought a thorough probe into the matter.

On November 18 last year, Samal had filed the petition in HC, alleging CBI inaction on his complaint.