A Central Bureau of Investigation court on Monday pronounced the quantum of sentence for RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and 37 others, who were recently convicted in the Doranda Treasury case related to the fodder scam. The special CBI court said that the convict Lalu Yadav, would be sentenced to five years in jail. In addition, he was fined Rs 60 lakh as part of the quantum of sentence.
The 73-year-old leader’s lawyer has said that they will approach the High Court, citing that he had almost completed half of his sentence.
Soon after the verdict, the official handle of Lalu Prasad Yadav tweeted that he will continue his fight against injustice.
https://twitter.com/laluprasadrjd/status/1495689890356502529?s=20&t=3kNZCe0GHjnWsCpSlAsoNg
Reacting to the CBI court’s move, RJD leader and Lalu Yadav’s son Tejashwi Yadav said that this was not the end. “I will not comment on the court verdict. This is not the last judgment. High Court, Supreme court are there. We’ve challenged it in the High court and we are hopeful that the judgment of lower court will change in High Court,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
“Apart from fodder scam, it seems no scam has happened in the country. In Bihar, almost 80 scams have happened but where is CBI, ED, NIA? In country there is only one scam and one leader. CBI has forgotten Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi,” the RJD leader added.
Last Tuesday, Lalu Yadav was found guilty in the Rs 139.5 crore Doranda treasury embezzlement case, the fifth and final case against him in the fodder scam. The former Bihar chief minister was among the remaining convicts whose quantum of sentence was pronounced on Monday. Of the 99 accused, 24 were acquitted in the last fodder scam case, while a three-year jail term was awarded to 46 others.
Soon after the conviction, the ailing politician was shifted to Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi and then he was admitted to the state-run Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), an official said.
Lalu had earlier been sentenced to 14 years in jail in four other fodder scam cases. The final case was related to withdrawals of Rs 139.35 crore from Doranda treasury during his tenure as the chief minister of undivided Bihar. He was out on bail when he was convicted again.
In the course of the 22-year-long trial, 55 accused died, while eight turned government approvers. As many as six accused are still absconding.
The fodder scam, pegged at Rs 950 crore, was first unearthed by the then Chaibasa deputy commissioner Amit Khare.
The Animal Husbandry Department had allegedly issued fake bills for large disbursements from government treasuries in various districts of undivided Bihar. Lalu Yadav, then the chief minister, also held the finance portfolio.
The RJD supremo, who has been sentenced to 14 years in prison and slapped with a total fine of Rs 60 lakh, is on bail in four other cases related to Dumka, Deoghar and Chaibasa treasuries after conviction. The CBI named Lalu as an accused in June 1997. The agency framed charges against Lalu and former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, who died in 2019.
The central agency had registered 53 separate cases in connection with the scam in 1996.
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