Lalu convicted, Mishra acquitted in fodder scam

Jailed former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad was on Monday convicted by a special CBI court of criminal conspiracy, corruption and other charges in the fourth fodder scam case while another ex-chief minister Jagannath Mishra was acquitted.

CBI judge Shiv Pal Singh held guilty the 69-year-old RJD chief along with 18 others. Mishra was among 12 acquitted in the case RC 38 A/96 pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from Dumka treasury in the early 1990s.

The charges against the convicted persons are 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 409 (misappropriation), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), 477A/IPC and section 13 (2) with 13 (i) c &d of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (misuse of official position for pecuniary advantage by the public servant and others).

Emerging out of the court, Prasad told reporters he did not wish to make any comment, while party vice president Raghubansh Prasad Singh said that they would challenge the order in the high court. The judge will hear arguments on the quantum of sentence from March 21, according to a CBI counsel. “Koi comment nahi karna hai (I do not have to make any comment),” the RJD chief said to mediapersons waiting outside the court here.

Lalu Prasad’s wife and frormer Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and her elder son Tej Pratap Yadav on Monday expressed disappointment over the conviction, saying they had thought he will be acquitted.

“I was expecting acquittal. It disappointed us. But we respect the verdict and have faith in judiciary," Rabri Devi told the media here.

Tej Pratap said he expected "relief" for his father. Nonetheless, "we respect the court verdict”.

Meanwhile, his lawyer said that the decision on moving to the High Court in connection with the conviction of Lalu Prasad will be taken after the quantum of the sentence pronounced in the fodder scam case, on Monday.

According to the lawyer, the court asked the RJD chief to be present during the hearing even after its knowledge of him being sick and admitted to RIMS Hospital here.