Lalu guilty in 4th fodder case; Mishra acquitted

Our Correspondent

Ranchi, March 19

A CBI court in Ranchi on Monday convicted former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav,  along with 18 others, in the fourth fodder scam case, while it acquitted another former Bihar CM, Jagannath Mishra, and 12 others. The quantum of punishment is likely to be pronounced later this week.

The court of special CBI judge Shiv Pal Singh held Lalu, 69, along with 18 others guilty of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from Dumka treasury (now in Jharkhand) during 1990s.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

This is Lalu’s fourth consecutive conviction in the multi-crore fodder scam, while the verdict in two related cases is awaited.

He was first convicted in 2013 and sent to jail. On December 23, 2017, Lalu was convicted yet again and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail in the second case, even as Mishra was acquitted. Lalu is presently lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. The RJD supremo was later convicted in the third case.

RJD vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said: “The verdict against Lalu would be challenged in the higher court. We would certainly get justice.”

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and Lalu’s younger son Tejaswi Prasad Yadav said: “It is a BJP-RSS conspiracy to implicate my family. We would take the legal battle further.”

Lalu had been admitted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences after he fell in jail on Saturday.