Fodder scam case: Special court to pronounce quantum of sentence for Lalu Prasad Yadav today

Ranchi: A special court will on Wednesday will pronounce the quantum of sentence for jailed former Bihar chief minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and 15 others. A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court had on 23 December convicted the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and 15 others in a case relating to the multi-million-rupee fodder scam. [caption id=“attachment_4284285” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. PTI[/caption] Lalu Prasad’s lawyer on Tuesday told reporters that they would press for minimum punishment in the case. “Lalu is 70-years-old and suffering from many diseases. We will seek minimum punishment for him " he said. According to lawyers, Lalu Prasad can be awarded three to seven years’ punishment. If he gets three years’ punishment, he would get bail soon after sentencing. Wednesday is 3 January and number three is bad omen for Lalu Prasad. He was first time convicted in fodder scam case on 30 September, 2013, and was awarded five years’ imprisonment on 3 October, 2013. Lalu Prasad is at present cooling his heels in Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. The CBI court had acquitted another former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and five others in the case, relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 84.5 lakh from the Deoghar district treasury between 1990 and 1994. Lalu Prasad was the chief minister of then undivided Bihar from 1990 to 1997. The trial in the case was completed on 13 December in the special CBI court and 10 days later, he was convicted on 23 December. There were 34 accused in the case, out of which 11 died during the trial, while one turned CBI approver and admitted to the crime. The 16 convicted people include three former IAS officials Phoolchand Mandal, Beck Julius and Mahesh Prasad. Lalu Prasad is also facing trial in three more cases relating to the fodder scam, also known as “Chara Ghotala”.