Fodder scam: Lalu found guilty, is this the end of his career?

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad has been found guilty in a fodder scam case at a special CBI court in Ranchi. The multi-million animal husbandry department scam, popularly known as the fodder scam, accused Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra, both former chief ministers of Bihar, ministers from the department, two IAS officials and others, of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.37.70 crore from Chaibasa district treasury of Jharkhand. [caption id=“attachment_1141661” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] PTI[/caption] Special CBI Judge PK Singh said The verdict was crucial for Lalu Prasad and his future as a political leader since the central government ordinance that would have shielded tainted and convicted parliamentarians and legislators from disqualification has been put under the scanner and is likely to be withdrawn. There were a total of 56 accused in the case. But during the trial, seven accused died, two turned approver, one admitted to the crime and one was discharged. Lalu Prasad moved the Jharkhand High Court and later the Supreme Court, seeking a change of the judge in the case. Both courts dismissed his petition, and directed him to complete arguments in the case before the CBI court. Lalu Prasad resigned from the chief minister’s post in 1997 when his name figured in the CBI investigations in the scam, which surfaced in 1996. Around 54 of the 61 cases were transferred to Jharkhand, after it was created as a separate state in November 2000. Different CBI courts have passed judgments in more than 43 cases. Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra are accused in five cases. With inputs from IANS