CBI court may sentence Lalu and 15 others today
RANCHI: A special CBI court deferred for a day on Wednesday the sentencing of jailed former Bihar chief minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and 15 others in a fodder scam case.
The matter was related to fraudulent withdrawal of ₹90 lakh from Deoghar treasury during 1991-1994.
Special judge Shivpal Singh adjourned sentencing for a day as lawyers abstained from work to condole the death of a member of their fraternity. The court said it would now pronounce the sentence on Thursday.
After convicting Prasad and 15 others, including three IAS officers, politicians, former animal husbandry department officials and suppliers, the court had fixed Wednesday to pronounce quantum of punishment.
It had acquitted six of the total 22 accused, including former Bihar chief minister, Jagannath Mishra. The ₹900 crore fodder scam relates to a systematic bleeding of public funds in Bihar between 1990 and 1995 when money was taken from the different treasuries for fictitious spends on fodder and other expenses for cattle.
This is the second fodder scam case in which Prasad has been convicted.
Earlier, on September 30, 2013, the duo was convicted in the scam case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of ₹37.70 crore from Chaibasa treasury.
The conviction got him five years in prison, disqualification from Parliament and a ban on contesting elections. He was given bail by the Supreme Court in 2013.