Published on: Dec 10, 2025 10:56 pm IST
“Former agriculture minister Satyanand Bhokta has suffered a setback in the 22-year-old seed and agricultural equipment purchase scam case. The court rejected his discharge application. After the hearing concluded on November 25 in the court of special judge Onkar Nath Chaudhary of the ACB, the court reserved its order, which was issued on Tuesday, rejecting the discharge plea,” an advocate said.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court dismissed the discharge petition of former agriculture minister Satyanand Bhokta in a 22-year-old seed and agricultural equipment purchase scam involving ₹46.10 crore, an advocate familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times on Wednesday.
“Former agriculture minister Satyanand Bhokta has suffered a setback in the 22-year-old seed and agricultural equipment purchase scam case. The court rejected his discharge application. After the hearing concluded on November 25 in the court of special judge Onkar Nath Chaudhary of the ACB, the court reserved its order, which was issued on Tuesday, rejecting the discharge plea,” the advocate said.
Senior advocate of the Jharkhand high court Rajendra Krishna appeared on behalf of Bhokta. He confirmed the order but expressed his inability to share details.
However, a second advocate close to the matter said the path is now paved for framing charges against Bhokta, who was agriculture minister in the Madhu Koda government.
“This scam relates to the purchase of seeds and agricultural equipment between 2003 and 2005, where purchases were allegedly made from favoured companies without following the necessary procedures. The ACB investigation revealed a scam worth ₹46.10 crore. Following this, an FIR was registered at the Vigilance Police Station in 2009,” the advocate said.
Sharing the arguments before the court order, the advocate said Krishna pleaded innocence, but special public prosecutor Alok Kumar opposed the same.
“During the hearing, senior advocates Rajendra Krishna and NN Tiwari, representing the petitioner, argued that Bhokta was innocent in the scam and that there was no basis for the charges against him. They contended that he had no direct role in the purchase process and should therefore be acquitted. However, special public prosecutor Kumar, representing the ACB, opposed this, stating that sufficient evidence was available in the case to proceed with the prosecution,” the advocate said.
