RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has been sentenced to prison for five years.
Lalu was convicted in the third fodder scam case which involved an unfair withdrawal of Rs 33.67 crore from Chaibasa treasury. The fodder case dates back to 1992-1993.
Lalu sentenced to prison for five years: Verdict
The verdict was announced by special CBI court judge S S Prasad. The judge has also convicted 50 others in the case. Others include former MLAs Dhruv Bhagat, former Bihar minister Vidyasagar Nishad, ex-Bihar Assembly PAC chief Jagdish Sharma, R K Rana and three ex-IAS officers along with other government officers.
Not only imprisonment, Lalu, and former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra were also fined Rs 5 lakh each by the Ranchi court. Lalu’s fodder scam is an act of embezzlement from the Chaibasa treasury.
Withdrawn amount: Rs 33.67 crore V/S Rs 7.10 lakh
The allegation is that fake allotment letters were used to withdraw Rs 33.67 crore, however, the sanctioned amount for the state was only Rs 7.10 lakh. This clearly indicates that a large quantum of funds was withdrawn in comparison to the allowable limits.
Lalu in Birsa Munda Central Jail of Ranchi
Lalu is already sitting behind the bars in the Birsa Munda Central Jail of Ranchi. The last time he was awarded a three year term jail, Lalu was serving his term in the Birsa Munda Jail. He was sentenced on January 6, convicting him in the withdrawal case from Deoghar treasury.
Glancing into the past: Lalu Prasad’s previous fodder cases
The first fodder case in which Lalu was convicted in was 2013. They were awarded a five years imprisonment, however, he escaped the punishment due to a smart political move. The consequent and the second fodder case involved the illegal withdrawal of funds amounting to Rs. 184 crore. The funds were misplaced from the Doranda Treasury.
