Rashtriya Janta Dal supremo Lalu Prasad was sentenced to three-and-half years in jail by a special CBI court today. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on him in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the treasury of Deoghar 21 years ago. The president was handed down by CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh to 69-year-old Lalu Prasad Yadav, this being the second time he has been jailed in the fodder scam case.
Tejashwi Yadav, son of Lalu Yadav, held an emergency meeting with the party leaders in Patna said, “The judiciary has performed its duty, now we will approach the High Court after studying the sentence and we will apply for a bail”. The former Chief Minister is in Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Jail. He received his sentence through video-conference. The CBI special court had convicted him for the offense of cheating and criminal conspiracy, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The current RJD leader and Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav had expressed his faith in the judiciary. He later said that the judiciary has performed its duty and now its for him to study the sentence and apply for a bail to the High Court. While addressing the media after holding a meeting with all MLAs, MPs and senior leader of the party, Mr. Yadav accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi government at center and State’s current Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of conspiring against his family to wipe ur opposition from the state.
The sentence was delivered today via video conferencing after it has already been postponed three times this week. Judge Shivpal Singh, while completing the sentence hearings in the fodder scam observed wryly that “an open is best suitable for the convicts in the fodder scam as they have experience in cow farming.”
Lalu Prasad Yadav said that this conviction is the result of a political vendetta against him. He later took to the social media site Twitter: “Rather than practicing BJP’s Simple Rule – “Follow us or We Will Fix you”. I will die happily fixing myself for Social justice, harmony & equality.” According to sources, Lalu was convicted on December 23rd for various charges including forgery, criminal conspiracy, use of forged documents under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The fodder scam case relates to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89 lakh from the Deoghar district (Now in Jharkhand) treasury between 1990 and 1994.
RJD founder Lalu Yadav sought for a reduction in punishment citing health issues yesterday. Chittaranjan Sinha, his lawyer, confirmed that he is dealing with a lot of health issues. Sinha said that he hoped for a minimum punishment in this second case on account of the RJD chief’s old age.
“I have no role in this scam directly; consider minimum punishment keeping in view my age and health grounds,” said Lalu Prasad Yadav in his plea.
The trial in this second of five fodder scam cases against Lalu was completed on December 13. Ten days later, the special court acquitted another former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and five others in the scam case.
