ME News Bureau: Ranchi: A CBI special court has sentenced Lalu Prasad Yadav, RJD chief, to three-and-a-half years in in prison in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury 21 years ago.
Shiv Pal Singh, the CBI court judge, who had convicted Prasad, along with 10 others on December 23, also imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on him for two cases in the scam. The quantum of sentence for Lalu Yadav and other accused, was sentenced through video conferencing.
According to a CBI counsel, Lalu was fined Rs 5 lakh for each case, failing which he would serve another six months in jail.
The court had convicted Lalu for offences of cheating and criminal conspiracy, under the the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Immediately after the sentencing, Lalu s Twitter account stated, “Rather than practicing BJP’s Simple Rule – 'Follow us or We Will Fix you'. I will die happily fixing myself for Social justice, harmony and equality."
Tejaswi Yadav, and former deputy chief minister and Lalu's son, addressing media after the verdict, said that RJD would move the High Court after reviewing the sentence and apply for bail.
"We are confident that he (Lalu Yadav) will get bail. We have full faith on judiciary. We are not going to be cowed down," another son of Lalu, Tej Pratap, stated:
Hailing the judgment, KC Tyagi Janata Dal (United) leader. "This will prove to be a historic decision in Bihar politics. It is the end of a chapter."
The other convicts include Sudhir Kumar, Phool Chand, Raja Ram, Mahesh Prasad, Bake Julious, Sunil Kumar, and Sushil Kumar.
