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Verdict in biggest fodder scam case today, Lalu in Ranchi to stand in dock
A special CBI court will deliver its verdict on Tuesday in the Ranchi’s Doranda treasury case, the biggest fodder scam case, which would decide the fate of former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, who has already been convicted in four similar cases and is one of the main accused in the instant case.
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A special CBI (Central Investigation Bureau) court will deliver its verdict on Tuesday in the Ranchi’s Doranda treasury case, the biggest fodder scam case, which would decide the fate of former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, who has already been convicted in four similar cases and is one of the main accused in the instant case.
Prasad arrived here on Sunday to be present in person, along with other 98 co-accused in the case, before the court of special CBI judge SK Shashi.
The ₹950-crore fodder scam, which rocked the electoral career of the veteran Bihar politician, relates to fraudulent withdrawal of public funds from government treasuries in various districts of erstwhile Bihar against fictitious spends on fodder and other expenses for cattle over a period of several years.
In order to probe the scam, the CBI had registered 53 separate cases in 1996. The Doranda Treasury case, numbering RC 47 (A)/96, is the biggest of these and involves the largest number of accused (170), including Lalu Prasad, and highest amount of embezzled money ( ₹139.5 crore).
The RJD leader has challenged the previous four convictions in the Jharkhand High Court and is currently out on bail.
“The CBI had filed charge sheet in 2005. A total of 170 persons were named as accused in this case, but 55 of them died during the course of trial. Eight accused turned approvers, two pleaded guilty while six of them are absconding. In the end, 99 accused are facing trial in this case. Trial in the case was completed on January 29 this year and verdict would be delivered on Tuesday,” said counsel BMP Singh, who has represented the CBI in the case.
The RJD chief, who has mostly spent his time in New Delhi after he secured bail in the Dumka treasury case on April 17 last year, arrived in Ranchi on Sunday along with several senior party leaders. He returned to Patna last week from the national capital and also attended his party’s national convention.
During his long absence from Patna due to jail term in Ranchi since December 2017 and long stay in New Delhi for medical treatment since he secured bail, Prasad’s younger son Tejashwi Yadav has been spearheading the party, including in the 2020 assembly polls when the RJD emerged the single largest party in Bihar assembly.
While RJD leaders have maintained they have full faith in the judiciary, the defence team is pinning its hope on the quantum of punishment the court grants to Lalu Prasad if he is convicted by the court in this case as well.
“Even if he is convicted and granted less than three years punishment, he would be able to walk away by getting bail from the special CBI court itself. However, if the quantum of punishment is higher than three years, he will have to go to jail and apply for bail in the high court,” said a lawyer, not willing to be named.
The previous four convictions
1. Prasad’s first conviction came on September 30, 2013, in Chaibasa treasury case related to fraudulent withdrawal of ₹37.70 crore. 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.
2. On December 23, 2017, the special CBI court convicted Prasad in the second case related to fraudulent withdrawal of ₹89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury. Prasad was sentenced 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.
3. Prasad’s third conviction came on January 24, 2018, in Chaibasa treasury case, related to fraudulent withdrawal of ₹33.13 crore. He was awarded five years of imprisonment in this case.
4. On March 19, 2018, the special court held Prasad guilty for fraudulent withdrawal of ₹3.76 crore from Dumka treasury and handed him 14 years in prison and slapped a fine of ₹60 lakh on him.
