6 November 2026 Punjab Khabarnama Bureau : A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali has sentenced five people, including a retired Food Corporation of India (FCI) official and four rice mill proprietors, to imprisonment in a nearly two-decade-old rice procurement case linked to the Jalalabad centre in Punjab’s Ferozepur district.
The case relates to alleged irregularities during the 2004-05 procurement season, involving the supply and acceptance of rice that failed to meet the prescribed quality standards. The court awarded prison sentences ranging from one year to four years to the five convicted individuals and also imposed monetary fines.
The judgment marks another development in a series of long-pending cases involving alleged irregularities in the procurement and quality assessment of rice supplied to the government through FCI.
Retired FCI Official Raman Lal Meena Gets One-Year Jail Term
Among those convicted is Raman Lal Meena, 75, a retired Assistant Grade-I (AG-I) official who was associated with the FCI Depot and District Office in Moga.
The court sentenced Meena to one year of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine for his role in causing the disappearance of evidence and criminal conspiracy.
Two proprietors of Galhotra Industries, Sanjiv Kumar, 53, and Rajnish Kumar, 56, who are associated with the rice mill at Jalalabad West, also received one-year rigorous imprisonment sentences.
They were convicted of offences relating to the disappearance of evidence and criminal conspiracy.
The court’s findings relate to alleged manipulation of official procurement records and irregularities in the handling of rice supplied to the FCI.
Amit Kumar Sentenced to Four Years in Prison
Amit Kumar, proprietor of RK Industries in Jalalabad, received the maximum punishment among the five convicted individuals. The court sentenced him to four years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine.
Another rice mill proprietor, Sanjay Kumar of JK Rice Mills, Jalalabad West, was sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment for cheating and criminal conspiracy.
The sentences were pronounced after the court examined evidence related to the procurement process and the alleged manipulation of records. The case involved several individuals connected with rice mills and the FCI procurement centre.
What Was the Rice Procurement Scam?
According to the case details, the alleged irregularities took place at FCI’s Unit-II procurement centre in Jalalabad during the 2004-05 period.
The investigation found that the stack-wise register maintained at the FCI centre had allegedly been altered. The position of the rice contract was also changed in the official records.
The contract in question was related to the sole consignment of rice supplied by Galhotra Rice Mill to the FCI.
These records were important because they helped officials track the storage, quality and movement of rice procured from different mills. Any unauthorised changes could affect the verification process and the assessment of whether the supplied stock met government standards.
The alleged manipulation of the records became a key part of the investigation conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Laboratory Tests Found Rice Samples Beyond Permitted Limits
During the investigation, the CBI conducted a joint surprise inspection and collected samples from the concerned rice stack.
The samples were subsequently sent to the Central Grain Analysis Laboratory (CGAL) for examination.
The laboratory analysis revealed that the samples exceeded the prescribed Fair Average Quality (FAQ) limits. These standards are used by government agencies to determine whether food grains meet the required quality specifications for procurement and distribution.
The findings raised questions about the quality of rice supplied to the FCI and the manner in which the procurement records had been maintained.
The investigation focused on the alleged conspiracy between individuals associated with rice mills and those involved in the procurement process.
CBI Filed Chargesheet in 2011
Despite the case relating to the 2004-05 procurement period, the legal proceedings continued for several years.
The CBI filed its chargesheet on April 25, 2011, placing the investigation findings and allegations before the court.
The case subsequently proceeded through the judicial process, with evidence being examined against the accused individuals.
The latest judgment in Mohali has resulted in convictions and prison sentences for five people. The case highlights the lengthy nature of investigations and court proceedings involving alleged financial irregularities in government procurement systems.
Court Acquits 12 Other Accused
While five individuals were convicted, the special CBI court acquitted 12 other accused persons of all charges.
Those acquitted include Sardul Singh, Ramnik Kumar, Parvesh Kumar, Anil Kumar, Vimal Sidana, Darshan Lal, Ashwani Kumar, Hans Raj, Sanjeev Kumar, son of Hukam Chand, Harpreet Kamboj, Balbir Chand and Pawan Kumar.
The acquittals mean that the court did not find sufficient grounds to hold these individuals guilty of the charges brought against them.
The judgment therefore resulted in different outcomes for the accused, depending on the evidence and their respective roles in the case.
FCI Rice Procurement Under Investigation
The Food Corporation of India plays an important role in the country’s food security system. It is responsible for procuring food grains, maintaining buffer stocks and distributing grains through government food security programmes.
Rice procurement involves several stages, including purchasing paddy from farmers, milling, quality inspection, storage and transportation.
Quality standards are particularly important because government-procured food grains are eventually used in public distribution and other welfare programmes.
Cases involving the acceptance of substandard rice and manipulation of procurement records raise concerns about transparency, accountability and the proper use of public funds.
The latest conviction in the Jalalabad case comes amid other CBI court judgments involving alleged irregularities in FCI rice procurement centres across Punjab.
The five convictions in this case bring a significant development in a matter that originated during the 2004-05 procurement season. With the court announcing imprisonment ranging from one to four years, the judgment has once again brought attention to the importance of strict quality checks and accountability in government food-grain procurement.