Lalu, Mishra sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment in fodder scam case

Shashank Shekhar

Ranchi ( Jharkhand) : A special CBI court at Ranchi presided by judge S S Prasad on January 24, 2018, sentenced former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad, 69, and Jagannath Mishra, 80, to 5 years’ imprisonment in a fodder scam case bearing RC 68 A/ 1996 involving fraudulent drawal of Rs 37.62 crore from Chaibasa treasury in the 1990s in undivided Bihar. The State of Jharkhand came into existence on November 15, 2000.

Earlier in the day, CBI judge S S Prasad convicted Lalu and Mishra guilty in the case. This is the third fodder scam case in which RJD chief Lalu has been convicted. Both Lalu and Mishra were also slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh each in the case. Lalu’s conviction in the third fodder scam case is a major setback to the RJD before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Former Bihar minister Vidyasagar Nishad, former Bihar Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Jagdish Sharma, former MLAs Dhruv Bhagat and R K Rana and three former IAS officers: Phulchand Singh, Mahesh Prasad and Sajal Chakravarty, were also among the 50 accused convicted in the case by the court.

Of the total 76 accused, 14 had died, three turned approvers, one is absconding and two others were already convicted. Out of the remaining 56 accused, two government servants and four fodder suppliers were acquitted in the case on January 24, 2018. The three former IAS officers were sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in the case.

Soon after the verdict, the RJD said the special CBI court order was not final and it would appeal in the high court and, if necessary, in the Supreme Court. Leader of the opposition in Bihar Assembly and Lalu’s younger son Tejaswi Yadav also accused CM Nitish Kumar and the BJP of framing his father. “We have to abide by whatever is the court’s ruling. But the CBI court order is not going to be final. We will appeal in the high court and, if needed, in the Supreme Court,”  said Tejaswi about his father’s conviction in the third fodder scam case.

A Special CBI court at Ranchi had on December 23, 2017, convicted Lalu in second fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar Treasury 21 years ago. On January 6, 2018, the court had sentenced Lalu to three-and- a-half years in jail besides slapping a  fine of Rs 10 lakh on him.  Fifteen other accused were also convicted in the case. Mishra was acquitted in the case.

Lalu had been convicted in the first fodder scam case involving drawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury on September 30, 2013, and was sentenced to five years’s imprisonment and was disqualified fro the Lok Sabha. He faces another two scam cases involving fraudulent drawal of Rs 3.97 crore from Dumka Treasury and Rs 184 crore from  Doranda Treasury, Ranchi. Lalu is at present lodged in BirsaMundajail, Ranchi.