7.1.18

Lalu Gets 3.5 Years in Jail


A special CBI court sentenced RJD chief Lalu Prasad to three-and-ahalf years in jail and imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh on him in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of ₹89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury 21 years ago. The punishment was handed to 69-year-old Lalu by CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh. This is the second time that he has been jailed in the fodder scam.

Meanwhile, RJD leader and Prasad’s son Tejashwi Yadav said the special CBI court verdict will be challenged in the high court. A bail plea will also be moved in the high court, Tejashwi told a press conference at the residence of his mother and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi.

Lalu was sentenced to three-anda-half years in jail in a fodder scam case for offences of cheating, along with criminal conspiracy, and other sections under the Indian Penal Code. He was also given a jail term of three years and six months in the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He was fined ₹5 lakh each under the IPC and the PCA, CBI counsel Rakesh Prasad said, adding that failure to pay the fine would entail another six months in jail. The sentences will run concurrently, he said.

Lalu, who was convicted in the second case on December 23, is at present lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail. On Friday, the court concluded arguments on the quantum of sentence against Prasad in connection with the withdrawal of ₹89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury between 1990 and 1994 when he was the CM of Bihar.

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