RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court in Ranchi, Jharkhand. A fine of ₹60 lakh has also been imposed on him in the fifth fodder scam.
Lalu Prasad Yadav had illegally withdrawn ₹139.5 crore from the Doranda treasury in the fifth fodder scam. He was found guilty on February 15, there were a total of 99 accused in the fodder scam.
Lalu Prasad Yadav appeared before the court virtually as he is in judicial custody and is currently admitted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) due to his poor health, the court pronounced the sentence after virtually hearing the arguments.
“Lalu Prasad has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment while a penalty of ₹60 lakh has also been imposed on him. Apart from Prasad, five years imprisonment each was announced by the court for five convicts, four years each for 32 convicts and three years each for three convicts. Fine imposed on convicts ranges from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 crore”,said CBI counsel BMP Singh.
The special court of CBI had convicted 74 others including former MP Jagdish Sharma, President of Public Accounts Committee Dhruv Bhagat etc.
Lalu Prasad Yadav had already spent 36 months of his jail term and had earlier been sentenced to 14 years in jail in four other fodder scam cases, therefore, his lawyer said that they will approach the High Court.
Lalu Prasad Yadav, the former Chief Minister of Bihar was sentenced to 27.5 years of imprisonment after he was going guilty in fodder scams worth ₹950 crore.
The total number of accused in the fodder scam case were 170, out of which 55 people have died, while seven of the rest accused became witnesses, two confessed to the crime while six are still on a run.
Yadav was named as an accused by the CBI in June 1997, along with Yadav, former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra who died in 2019, was also framed. Total 53 separate cases were registered by the CBI in connection with the fodder scam in 1996.