Yogi Adityanath orders probe over alleged calls by DM, SDM to Special Court Judge in fodder scam case

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has called for an enquiry over Special Court Judge Shivpal Singh's claim that prior to Lalu Prasad Yadav's sentencing in the fodder scam case, he "got phone calls from RJD chief's men".

However, the judge had not clarified as to who made these calls to him.

Taking not of the matter, Adityanath has ordered Jhansi Commissioner to investigate the case and draft a report at the earliest.

In a huge setback to the RJD, its supremo Lalu Prasad was on January 6 sentenced to three-and-a-half-years jail in a fodder scam case.

The court convicted Lalu Prasad and 15 others on December 23 in the case relating to the multi-million-rupee scam.

The sentences range from three-and-a-half-years to seven years imprisonment. The maximum fine imposed was Rs 10 lakh, slapped on three convicts including Jagdish Sharma, former Public Accounts Committee chairman, while they and three others got the seven years in jail too. Thre remaining nine were also sentenced to three and half years in jail.

He was facing a total five cases in the fodder scam and the judgment in two more cases are likely to be pronounced within one month.

The multi-million-fodder scam surfaced in 1996 and at directive of Patna High Court, the investigation was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). When Lalu Prasad moved the Supreme Court against high court order, the SC ordered the Patna High Court to monitor the investigation.