Mohali, Nov. 15 -- A special CBI court in Mohali has convicted 30 people, including 14 Food Corporation of India (FCI) officials and 16 private rice millers, in three cases linked to the 2004-05 Punjab rice procurement scam. The court sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment ranging from one to three years along with fines on Friday.

The cases relate to alleged collusion between FCI officials and private rice millers during the 2004-05 kharif procurement season. The accused accepted substandard rice as Grade-A stock at FCI centres in Malerkotla, Sunam and Tapa in Sangrur district, resulting in payments to millers for consignments that did not meet prescribed quality standards and causing financial loss to the corporation.

The Central Bur...