Fodder scam: CBI court to pronounce quantum of punishment for Lalu today

The former Bihar chief minister had sought leniency in the sentence, citing ill-health and old age.

A special CBI court in Ranchi will pronounce the quantum of sentence in a fodder scam case involving Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad on Saturday afternoon.

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav escorted by police officials after being convicted by the special CBI court in fodder scam case, in Ranchi in December 2017. (PTI File Photo)

The former Bihar chief minister had made a written plea before the court of CBI judge Shivpal Singh for leniency in the sentence, citing ill-health and old age, from Birsa Munda central jail, where he has been lodged jail since his conviction on December 23.

The court has so far recorded the arguments on the quantum of punishment of 10 of the total 16 convicts, including Prasad, in the case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury between 1991 and 1994. Prasad was chief minister of Bihar at that time.

“The quantum of sentence will be announced at 2 pm, today, via video conferencing,” Lalu Prasad’s lawyer Chittaranjan Sinha said on Friday.

The lawyer also added that Lalu Prasad was dealing with a lot of health issues. “Lalu has diabetes, blood pressure; he almost fainted yesterday,” he said.