Ranchi (Jharkhand): Former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav has been convicted of fraudulent withdrawal from Doranda treasury by a CBI Special Court in Ranchi on Tuesday. The CBI court, while pronouncing its verdict in the fodder scam case, found the RJD leader guilty. The case pertains to the illegal withdrawal of Rs 139 crore from the Doranda treasury in Bihar during 1990-96.
Lalu has now been convicted in all five cases related to the infamous ₹ 950 crore fodder scam cases. On February 21, the court will pronounce the sentence of Lalu Yadav and others.
Earlier in April last year, the Jharkhand High Court had granted bail to the RJD Supremo in the case of fraudulent withdrawal from Dumka Treasury, one of the cases related to the fodder scam for which he was convicted. He had already been granted bail in the Chaibasa Treasury Scam case in October 2020, and in the Deoghar Treasury Scam case in February 2020. The case pertains to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.5 crore from the Dumka treasury by Animal Husbandry Department officials between 1991 and 1996 when Lalu Prasad Yadav served as the State's Chief Minister.
It is known that the RJD supremo Yadav is already convicted in case numbers RC 20, 38, 64 and 68 A/ 96. According to the chargesheet filed in the case, a total of 180 accused were named which have been reduced to 111.
What is this fodder scam?
The ₹950-crore scam relates to fraudulent withdrawal of public funds from government treasuries in various districts of undivided Bihar when Lalu Prasad was the chief minister. The fodder scam came to light in January 1996 after a raid at the Animal Husbandry Department. The CBI named Lalu Prasad Yadav as an accused in June 1997. In September 2013, the trial court convicted Prasad, Mishra and 45 others in one of the cases related to the fodder scam and Prasad was imprisoned in Ranchi jail. In December 2013, Supreme Court granted bail to Prasad in the case while in December 2017, the CBI court found him and 15 others guilty and sent them to Birsa Munda prison. The CBI had filed 170 charge sheets in connection with the scam.
The previous four convictions of Lalu Prasad Yadav in fodder scam:
- Prasad’s first conviction came on September 30, 2013, in the Chaibasa treasury case related to the fraudulent withdrawal of ₹37.70 crores. He was handed five years in prison, leading to his disqualification from the Lok Sabha membership. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in December that year.
- On December 23, 2017, the special CBI court convicted Prasad in the second case related to the fraudulent withdrawal of ₹89.27 crores from the Deoghar treasury. Prasad was sentenced to 3.5 years of jail term in this case. He was, however, granted bail in July this year after completing half of the jail term.
- Prasad’s third conviction came on January 24, 2018, in the Chaibasa treasury case, related to the fraudulent withdrawal of ₹33.13 crores. He was awarded five years of imprisonment in this case.
- On March 19, 2018, the special court held Prasad guilty for fraudulent withdrawal of ₹3.76 crores from Dumka treasury and handed him 14 years in prison and slapped a fine of ₹60 lakh on him.
