Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has stayed a lower court order that had directed the release of jewellery worth approximately ₹34 lakh seized during raids linked to the fodder scam case. The court has also issued notices to Ravi Sinha and other concerned parties, seeking their formal responses.
High Court Blocks Release
The order was passed by a bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi, which observed that the matter required detailed judicial examination before any decision on release of seized assets could be approved. The dispute relates to RC-68A/96, a key case arising from the long-running fodder scam investigation.
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According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the jewellery in question was recovered during searches conducted on May 13 and 14, 1999 at the residence of Shyam Bihari Sinha, identified as an accused in the case. The agency maintained that the ornaments formed part of seized assets under investigation and therefore could not be released without proper legal scrutiny.
CBI Questions Stridhan Claim
The controversy escalated after Ravi Sinha, son of Shyam Bihari Sinha, filed a petition in 2024 before a special CBI court claiming that the seized jewellery belonged to his late mother and should be treated as “stridhan”. Based on this claim, the special court had earlier ordered the release of the ornaments.
However, the CBI challenged the order before the High Court, arguing that there was no documentary proof to establish ownership of the jewellery as personal property of the deceased woman. The agency further stated that the claim had been raised decades after the original seizure, raising serious doubts about its credibility.
During the hearing, CBI counsel Deepak Bharti submitted that the claim of “stridhan” was unsupported by any evidence or legal documentation. He also highlighted that Rema Sinha, wife of Shyam Bihari Sinha, never claimed ownership of the jewellery during her lifetime. She passed away in 2011, while the claim was made by Ravi Sinha only in 2024, nearly 13 years after her death.
Seized Assets Under Scrutiny
The agency further argued that releasing seized jewellery without proper verification could compromise the integrity of ongoing corruption proceedings. It maintained that the timing and nature of the claim appeared questionable and required strict judicial examination.
After hearing both sides, the High Court stayed the operation of the lower court’s order and directed all parties, including Ravi Sinha, to file their responses. The court stated that a final decision on ownership and release of the jewellery would be taken only after a detailed review of all submissions and evidence.
Further Hearing Awaited
Until the next hearing, the seized jewellery will remain in custody and will not be released. The matter has been listed for further proceedings after responses are submitted by the concerned parties.
The case remains part of the broader legal aftermath of the fodder scam, which continues to see multiple proceedings related to recovery and ownership of seized assets even decades after the original investigation.
