Ranchi: A special CBI court in Ranchi on March 19 convicted Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad after finding him guilty on the charges of conspiracy and corruption in the fourth fodder scam case out of the six lodged against him 22 years ago.
The former Bihar chief minister has been serving a jail term in Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Central Jail since last December after his conviction in two other fodder scam cases. Two days ago, he was shifted to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) after he complained of chest pain.
Barring Prasad, the court of special judge Shivpal Singh acquitted all five politicians, including former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra, in the case related to a fraudulent withdrawal of ?3.76 crore from the Dumka treasury between December 1995 to January 1996. Out of 31 accused who faced trial, the court convicted 19 and acquitted 12. It fixed March 21, 22 and 23 to hear arguments on sentencing.
Prasad’s advocate Prabhat Kumar said, “The court has categorized the convicted persons in alphabetical order and formed three groups each having six convicts. It has fixed three dates allocating each group a single day to hear arguments on the point of sentences. My client’s turn will come on March 22.”
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