The special CBI court has sentenced RJD president Lalu Prasad to a five-year rigorous jail term with a fine of Rs 25 lakh in a case relating to the Rs 950 crore fodder scam.
Another former Bihar CM, Jagannath Mishra, was given four years with a fine of Rs 2 lakh and JD(U)’s sitting MP Jagdish Sharma four years with a fine of Rs 5 lakh. Former MLA, RK Rana, was slapped with imprisonment for five years with a fine of Rs 30 lakh.
“I have not committed any crime, why am I being punished?” was Lalu’s first reaction. “You can always appeal in the high court,” special judge Pravas Kumar Singh said as he delivered the order from the packed courtroom.
The order in the 17-year-old case virtually sends the 66-yearold leader into political oblivion, debarring him from contesting polls for six years after the completion of the jail term. The RJD chief faces immediate disqualification from Parliament in line with the recent Supreme Court ruling on convicted legislators, sentenced to more than two years or more in prison.
Lalu is also facing trial in four other cases related to the scam. Referring to Lalu and Sharma, the judge said, “They have been convicted by the court for offences under Prevention of Corruption Act as well as criminal conspiracy regarding offences punishable under IPC. As per the direction, the honourable speaker of the Lok Sabha is to be immediately informed regarding the conviction through its secretary.”
Three IAS officers — Mahesh Prasad, Beck Julius and Phoolchand Singh — were sentenced to four years’ RI. The highest sentence involving politicians, former animal husbandry officials, bureaucrats and suppliers was upto five years while the minimum was two.
Family members of Lalu said they would appeal against the verdict in the Jharkhand high court. Lalu has one Friday left to appeal before the court gets into vacations from October 5 to 15, which would make his wait for any relief longer.
No comments:
Post a Comment