CBI Court Patna Convicts Former Executive Engineer, Transporter in Bitumen Scam

Patna | December 11, 2025:

The CBI Court in Patna has convicted and sentenced two accused in a long-pending Bitumen scam case involving misappropriation of government material during road construction works in Bihar in the 1990s. The verdict brings closure to a corruption case that has remained under trial for nearly three decades.

The court sentenced Baikunth Nath Sharma, the then Executive Engineer of the Road Construction Division (RCD), Biharsharif, to one year of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹35,000. Private transporter Suresh Kumar Gupta was awarded three years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹1.5 lakh.

The case originated from an FIR registered in 1996 at Banka Town Police Station, alleging irregularities in the transportation of bulk bitumen meant for government road projects. Following an order of the Patna High Court dated February 20, 1997, the investigation was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

According to the probe, M/s Tirupati Transport Agency, Kolkata, had been contracted to transport bulk bitumen to the Executive Engineer, RCD, Banka. However, investigators found that the transporter supplied significantly less material than what was officially lifted under the supply orders.

CBI established that 287.625 metric tonnes of bitumen, valued at ₹14.38 lakh, were misappropriated during the execution of road construction works. The shortage was detected through scrutiny of transportation receipts, delivery records, and departmental documents, which revealed a clear mismatch between dispatched and received quantities.

The prosecution highlighted collusion between the transporter and officials of the Road Construction Department, resulting in a wrongful loss to the state exchequer. The case underscored systemic weaknesses in monitoring government material procurement and transportation during that period.

After a detailed investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet on February 7, 2002, against four accused — Suresh Kumar Gupta (private transporter), Baikunth Nath Sharma (then Executive Engineer), Balmiki Chaudhary (Junior Engineer, Sanhola Block, Bhagalpur), and Raghunandan Singh (Assistant Engineer/SDO, Road Construction Department, Bihar).

During the prolonged trial, proceedings against Balmiki Chaudhary and Raghunandan Singh were abated following their deaths. The court ultimately found Sharma and Gupta guilty under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The judgment concludes one of the many corruption cases that surfaced in Bihar during the 1990s related to irregularities in infrastructure material procurement. The CBI stated that the conviction reinforces accountability among public officials and contractors involved in state-funded development works.