The CBI Court in Patna has sentenced a former Road Construction Division engineer and a transporter for misappropriating over 287 metric tonnes of bitumen worth ₹14.38 lakh.
One-year imprisonment for engineer, three years for transporter
The CBI Court, Patna, on Thursday (December 11, 2025), convicted and sentenced two accused in a long-pending Bitumen scam case involving misappropriation of government material during the 1990s.
The court sentenced Baikunth Nath Sharma, the then Executive Engineer, Road Construction Division (RCD), Biharsharif, to one year of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹35,000. A private transporter, Suresh Kumar Gupta, was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹1.5 lakh.
CBI took over probe from Banka Police
The case originated from an FIR registered at Banka Town Police Station (FIR No. 289/1996) and was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following an order from the Patna High Court dated February 20, 1997.
The investigation revealed that M/s Tirupati Transport Agency, Calcutta, had been engaged for transporting bulk bitumen to the consignee — the Executive Engineer, RCD, Banka. However, the transporter allegedly supplied less quantity than the actual amount lifted as per the supply order.
Misappropriation of 287 MT bitumen worth ₹14.38 lakh
According to the CBI findings, the accused misappropriated 287.625 metric tonnes of bulk bitumen, valued at ₹14.38 lakh, during the execution of road construction works in Bihar. The shortage was detected upon verification of records and transportation receipts, confirming that the actual quantity delivered was substantially less than what had been procured.
The CBI’s prosecution highlighted collusion between the transporter and certain officials in the Road Construction Department, which led to the financial loss to the state exchequer.
Chargesheet filed in 2002 after detailed probe
After extensive investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet on February 7, 2002, against four accused — Suresh Kumar Gupta (private transporter), Baikunth Nath Sharma (then Executive Engineer, RCD, Biharsharif), Balmiki Chaudhary (Junior Engineer, Sanhola Block, Bhagalpur), and Raghunandan Singh (Assistant Engineer/SDO, Road Construction Department, Bihar).
During the course of the trial, two of the accused — Balmiki Chaudhary and Raghunandan Singh — passed away, following which proceedings against them were abated.
Conviction marks closure of a decades-old corruption case
After reviewing the evidence and hearing the arguments, the court found Baikunth Nath Sharma and Suresh Kumar Gupta guilty of offences under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.
The verdict concludes a nearly three-decade-old case, initially unearthed during the 1990s when several irregularities in the transportation and utilization of bitumen were detected across Bihar’s Road Construction Department.
The CBI stated that the court’s decision reinforces accountability among public officials and contractors involved in state-funded infrastructure works.
