Fodder scam: Lalu gets 5-year jail in third case

Ranchi: A special CBI court today awarded five-year rigorous imprisonment to former Bihar Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Jagannath Mishra in a fodder scam case. The court also imposed Rs 10 lakh fine on Lalu and Mishra on two counts (Rs. 5 lakh each).
The special CBI court of SS Prasad held 48 others, including former Jharkhand Chief Secretary Sajjal Chakraborty, guilty in the case involving fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 83.13 crore from the Chaibasa treasury (now in Jharkhand) during 1992-93, acquitting six others.
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In 1996, the CBI had registered a case linked to the multi-crore fodder scam and named 76 as accused. Only 56 were charge-sheeted as 15 of them died and five others turned approvers.
This is the third fodder scam case in which the RJD supremo has been convicted. On December 23 last year, the special CBI court of Shivpal Singh had held Lalu guilty in a case of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury (now in Jharkhand) and awarded three and a half years of imprisonment. Mishra was, however, acquitted in the case.
Reacting on the verdict, RJD leader and former Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said: “Lalu’s conviction is a jolt for us. But we will appeal in the higher court.”
Leader of the Opposition Tejaswi Prasad Yadav said: “It is well known that the BJP and RSS implicated my father Lalu ji. The most pivotal role was played by Nitish Kumar. We will approach higher courts against all these verdicts.”
Lalu is facing trial in two more cases linked to the fodder scam. One of these is being heard in Bihar.

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