Fodder scam: CBI court sentences Lalu Yadav to jail for 5 years

A special CBI court in Ranchi on Wednesday pronounced RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav as guilty and sentenced him to jail for 5 years. This is the third case of fodder scam against him.

The court also convicted former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra in the case. The fodder scam case, RC 68(A) / 1996, pertains to the fraudulence of Rs 33.67 crore from Chaibasa (now in Jharkhand) district treasury during 1992-93. 

The RJD chief, is at present lodged in the Birsa Munda jail in Ranchi after being convicted on December 23 in a case pertaining to embezzlement of over Rs. 85 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994.

Mishra, who was Lalu’s co-accused in the Deoghar scam as well was let off along with six others while a total of 17 accused including Lalu were pronounced guilty.

The RJD chief was on December 23 last year held guilty in the RC 64A/96 pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar Treasury and was handed 3.5 years imprisonment on January 6 this year by special CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh.

On September 30, 2013, Lalu was held guilty in the RC 20A/96 pertaining to illegal withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore and given five-year prison term.

There are two more cases in Jharkhand where the verdict is expected in the next few months. In one case of Doranda Treasury, the trial is still going on, while in the Dumka Treasury case, the trial is in its final stages.