Jailed Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was admitted to a hospital in Rachi on Saturday after he complained of chest pain at Birsa Mundra Jail, IANS reported.
Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences SK Chowdhary said the former chief minister was admitted to the cardiology wing and was currently under observation, The Indian Express reported. He is believed to be in a stable condition.
His son and former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav, along with other senior RJD leaders, visited him at the hospital amid tight security, the Hindustan Times reported.
Earlier on Saturday, a special Central Bureau of Investigation court deferred the judgment against Yadav and former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra in the fourth fodder scam case till March 19. The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief has already been convicted in three earlier cases and faces more than 13 years in prison now.
Fodder scam cases
The cases pertain to allegedly fraudulent withdrawals from the treasuries of multiple districts in Bihar when Yadav was chief minister. Around Rs 1,000 crore was embezzled from the state exchequer for the purchase of fictitious medicines and fodder for cattle between 1990 and 1997. The fourth case involves the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of around Rs 3.5 crore from the Dumka district’s treasury when Yadav was chief minister.
On January 24, a Ranchi court had convicted Yadav in a case connected to the withdrawal of Rs 33.67 crore from the Chaibasa district treasury in 1992-’93. He was sentenced to five years in jail. In two earlier cases, he was sentenced to five years, and three-and-a-half years in prison.
Chaibasa is now in the state of Jharkhand. A Jharkhand court rejected Yadav’s bail plea in February. His family has claimed that the verdicts are part of a conspiracy orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party against him.
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