CBI court defers sentencing of Lalu in fodder scam till Jan 5

Shashank Shekhar

Ranchi ( Jharkhand) : A special CBI court, Ranchi, on January 4 deferred the pronouncement of quantum of punishment to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and 15 others in a fodder scam case bearing number RC-64 A/ 96 till January 5, 2017, when it is likely to decide whether to pronounce the quantum of punishment over video conference or in court. The case relates to fraudulent drawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar ( Jharkhand) Treasury.

Deferring the sentencing for the second day in a row, CBI judge Shiv Pal Singh said he would decide on January 5 whether the sentence would be given over video conference or in the court. To this, Prasad said he was for personal appearance and assured that no slogans would be raised in the courtroom by his supporters. Hundreds of RJD supporters were present on the court campus since early morning. 

The judge also said he had received phone calls from well-wishers of the RJD boss but did not elaborate on it. With the court room packed, the judge asked the advocates not connected with the fodder scam case to leave. Fifteen others, who were convicted in the scam and were to be sentenced along with Lalu, waited in the court while the RJD chief was whisked away to Birsa Munda jail, Hotwar, Ranchi, after this.

The court had on January 3 served contempt notices to three senior leaders of the RJD and a Congress leader for criticising in TV channels the December 23, 2017, conviction of Lalu in the fodder scam case. The court had on December 23 convicted Prasad and 15 others in this fodder scam case and acquitted six others including another former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra. The case relates to fraudulent drawal of the money from the Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994.

In 1996, the Patna High Court had ordered an inquiry into the fodder scam cases and a chargesheet in the Deogarh treasury case was filed against 38 people on October 27, 1997. Eleven of them died and three turned approvers while two other accused confessed and were convicted in 2006-07, a CBI official said.

On September 30, 2013, Lalu, Jagannath Mishra and several others were convicted in another case relating to illegal withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa Treasury in Jharkhand in the early 1990s. The conviction on December 23, 2017, was the second in the scam.

Lalu faces another three fodder scam cases for illegal withdrawal of Rs 3.97 crore from the Dumka Treasury, Rs 36 crore from the Chaibasa Treasury and Rs 184 crore from the Doranda ( Ranchi) Treasury.