Lalu Prasad sentenced to 14 years in jail in fourth fodder scam case

Ranchi: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad was on Saturday sentenced to 14 years in jail and fined Rs60 lakh by a special CBI court in the fourth fodder scam case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs3.13 crore from the Dumka treasury in the early 1990s, a CBI counsel said in Ranchi.

CBI judge Shiv Pal Singh awarded two sentences of seven years each to the former Bihar chief minister under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Acts, he said. Prabhat Kumar, Lalu Prasad’s counsel, told journalists that he will appeal in a higher court against the judgment.

The court had on 19 March held the 69-year-old RJD chief guilty along with 18 others in connection with the case—RC 38 A/96. Former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, however, was acquitted in the case along with 12 other accused.

Prasad has been serving prison term in Birsa Munda Jail in Ranchi since 23 December last year after being convicted in the second fodder scam case pertaining to illegal withdrawal of money from the Deogarh treasury. The RJD supremo is currently undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, where he was admitted last week after he complained of chest pain and discomfort in jail.