Fodder scam: CBI seeks longer jail term for Lalu

Ranchi, October 5 

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The CBI has moved the Jharkhand High Court seeking that the prison term of RJD chief Lalu Prasad be enhanced from three-and-a-half to seven years in the Deoghar Treasury case in the multi-crore fodder scam.

It said other convicts in the case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deogarh Treasury were awarded seven-year jail by a special CBI court on January 6 this year. It argued that all convicts should face the same prison term as the charges and witnesses against all of them were the same.

In the petition filed on Thursday, the CBI also sought enhanced prison terms for ex-MP RK Rana, former IAS officers Beck Julius, Phoolchand Singh and Mahesh Prasad, and former government official Subir Bhattacharya.

Like Prasad, these five were also sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.

The CBI also filed another petition challenging the acquittal of former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra, Vidya Sagar Nishad and Dhruv Bhagat in the case. The probe agency contended that the special CBI court did not focus properly on the evidence even though it was adequate. Evidence of conspiracy was also there against them, it said. — PTI