A special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday found former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav guilty in one of six fodder scam cases. The court in Ranchi convicted 14 others in the case and acquitted seven, including Jagannath Mishra, who is another former chief minister of Bihar.
The police have lodged Yadav in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on January 3.
This is the second case in the scam and is connected with the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 84.5 lakh from the Deoghar district treasury between 1994 and 1996, when Yadav was Bihar’s chief minister. The scam – exposed in 1996 – involved around Rs 1,000 crore being embezzled from the state exchequer for the purchase of fictitious medicines and fodder for cattle between 1990 and 1997.
Yadav had spent 87 days in jail in 2013 after being convicted in an earlier case in the scam before the Supreme Court granted him bail.
Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son, said they will challenge the verdict at the Patna High Court.
Security was stepped up outside the court in Ranchi, in anticipation of violence by supporters of the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief. Hundreds of RJD workers had gathered outside the court ahead of the verdict.
Earlier on Saturday, Yadav had said a conviction in the case would not affect the party’s working, especially with his son Tejashwi Yadav at the helm. The former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav had said he had faith in the judiciary, especially after the recent decisions to acquit all those accused in the 2G scam and in Mumbai’s Adarsh housing scam.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!