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A special CBI court on Saturday convicted former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and 15 other people in a 21-year-old fodder scam case.
However, the quantum of punishment will be pronounced on January 3.
The Fodder Scam was a corruption scandal that involved the misappropriation of funds of about Rs 89 lakh from Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994 in Bihar. Among those implicated in the theft were former Chief Minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, as well as former Chief Minister, Jagannath Mishra. The scandal led to the end of Lalu’s resignation as Chief Minister.
The corruption scheme involved the fabrication of “vast herds of fictitious livestock” for which fodder, medicines and animal husbandry equipment was supposedly procured. Although the scandal broke in 1996, the theft had been in progress, and increased in size, for over two decades.
In total, 38 persons were accused in this case, including the RJD chief and former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra.
Lalu was earlier sentenced to five years imprisonment and fine of Rs 25 lakh for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.5 crore from the Chaibasa treasury. The Supreme Court granted him bail in December 2013.
The other accused in the case include former Bihar minister Vidya Sagar Nishad, former Public Accounts Committee chairmen Jagdish Sharma and Dhruv Bhagat. A charge sheet was filed against 38 persons on October 27, 1997.
The accused in the scam are facing charges under IPC sections 120B, 409, 418, 420, 467, 468, 471, 477 (A), 201 and 511 and under Prevention of Corruption Act section 13 (1) D, read with 13 (2). The order was reserved on December 13. Lalu faced three other fodder cases.
In 2014, the Jharkhand High Court stayed the trial against Lalu in four of the pending cases on the ground that a person convicted in one case could not be tried in similar cases based on same witnesses and evidence. The order, however, was quashed by the apex court, which ordered Lalu to stand trial in all pending fodder scam cases in which he was an accused.
“Truth can be made to appear as a lie, as ambiguous or a half lie by concerted onslaught of bias driven propaganda. But blurred layer of bias and hatred will still be removed, come what may! In (the) end truth will win,” Prasad tweeted soon after the fodder scam verdict was announced.
“The legal fight will continue,” Senior Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Raghuvansh Prasad told reporters outside the special CBI court in Ranchi reacting to the conviction of the RJD chief. “We will move the high court. There is no other alternative,” he said, further adding that beside fighting it legally, the party would go to the people and will definitely fight it politically.
“The case was on excess withdrawal from Deogarh treasury. Laluji has been charged with connivance as he was the finance minister then - the charge is not direct. The withdrawal had been taking place since 1977. There were several chief ministers who were in charge of the finance department when Laluji was not the finance minister or the chief minister so why is he being singled out?” Senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui questioned.
“Laluji’s going to jail is not new for RJD. He had been sent to jail on earlier occasions and every time RJD bounced back with double the strength. That is why we are still number one in Bihar,” he further added.
As many as 38 people were named as accused in the case. While 11 of them died during trial, two became CBI witnesses and two had pleaded guilty.
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