jharkhand-hc-admits-cbi-plea-in-lalu-fodder-scam-case

In a significant setback for RJD President and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday admitted a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking an enhancement of his sentence in the fodder scam case.

 

The CBI has requested a harsher punishment for Lalu Prasad Yadav, along with co-convicts Beck Julius and Sudhir Kumar Bhattacharya. The trial court had earlier sentenced them to three and a half years of rigorous imprisonment.

 

The CBI, however, is pressing for the maximum possible sentence in the case, which pertains to the illegal withdrawal of funds from the Deoghar treasury.

 

The petition seeks an increase in the sentence for six individuals convicted in connection with the fraudulent withdrawal of ₹89 lakh from the treasury. Of the six, three have since passed away.

 

After hearing the arguments put forward by the CBI, a division bench comprising Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay and Justice Ambuj Nath agreed to admit the petition.

 

The agency argued that since Jagdish Sharma, another accused in the case, had been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment, Lalu Prasad should be awarded a similar punishment.

 

CBI Special Judge Shivpal Singh had delivered the sentence on 6 January 2018, awarding three and a half years of rigorous imprisonment each to Lalu Prasad, Beck Julius, R.K. Rana, Phoolchand Singh, Mahesh Prasad, and Subir Bhattacharya under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code.

 

In contrast, Jagdish Sharma, then Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee in undivided Bihar, was sentenced to seven and a half years’ imprisonment along with a fine of ₹10 lakh.

 

Lalu Prasad Yadav is currently out on bail. He was previously lodged in Ranchi jail in connection with the fodder scam, but was later shifted to RIMS hospital in Ranchi due to health issues. He was eventually moved to AIIMS in Delhi.

 

Following the failure of both his kidneys, Lalu Prasad travelled to Singapore, where his daughter Rohini Acharya donated one of her kidneys to him. He has since returned to Patna and is recovering there.