D-Day for Lalu Prasad! CBI Court to pronounce verdict on fourth Fodder Scam case today

Ranchi, March 16: Sighting the long story of corruption and fraud in the fodder scam case would finally come to an end. The D-Day for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has arrived as the special CBI court in Ranchi is scheduled to pronounce judgment in the fourth fodder scam case today.

 

Following his party's splendid performance in the Bihar by-polls by retaining the two sitting seats of Araria and Jehanabad, Lalu has already been convicted in three other fodder scam cases and is serving a jail sentence of thirteen and a half years.

The case, RC38A/96, in which the verdict will be pronounced by the special CBI judge Shivpal Singh pertains to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from the Dumka treasury when Lalu was chief minister of Bihar.

Apart from Lalu, judgment will also be delivered against former Chief Minister Jaganath Mishra and 29 others accused in the case today. There are altogether 31 accused that faced trial, though CBI had filed charge sheet against 48 persons. Of them, six are politician, four ex-IAS officers, one ex-IRS officer, 10 Officers of Animal Husbandry and Treasury department and 10 Suppliers.

Lalu had received a 5-year jail term in the first case, three and a half years in the second and another five years in the third. At present, he is lodged in Birsa Munda jail in Ranchi. Lalu recently moved a bail application in the Jharkhand High Court in the Deoghar case in which he received a jail sentence of three and a half years. However, it was rejected.

The final hearing in the case had ended on March 5 after which the special CBI judge fixed March 15 as the date for the judgment.

Fodder Scam:

The Fodder Scam is a corruption scandal that involved the embezzlement of a huge amount of money from the government treasury of Bihar. Among those implicated in the theft and arrested was then Chief Minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, as well as former Chief Minister, Jagannath Mishra. The scandal led to the end of Lalu's reign as Chief Minister.

He is an accused in four other cases in the fodder scam. He has already been convicted in another fodder scam case that cost him his Lok Sabha seat and barred him from contesting elections.

Lalu Yadav and his family get drowned in more trouble as on the same day of Fodder scam verdict, his daughter Misa Bharati faces a major setback in money laundering case. The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday filed a charge sheet against the Rashtriya Janata Dal MP. Her husband was also named on the charge sheet.