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A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ranchi on Monday, 21 February, sentenced Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav to five years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 60 lakh. Judge SK Sashi pronounced the judgment on the quantum of sentencing.
Reacting to the sentence, the RJD leader's son, Tejashwi Yadav, said that they have challenged it in the high court.
"This is not the last judgment. High court, Supreme Court are there. We've challenged it in the high court and we are hopeful that the judgment of lower court will change in the high court," Yadav said.
He added, "Apart from fodder scam, it seems no scam has happened in the country. In Bihar, almost 80 scams have happened but where is CBI, ED, NIA? In country there is only one scam and one leader. CBI has forgotten Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi."
Yadav went on to claim that if "Lalu Ji would have shaken hands with BJP then he would have been called Raja Harishchandra, but today he is opposing them and hence, facing imprisonment."
Taking to Twitter after the court's verdict, the accused leader wrote, "From injustice and inequality; from dictatorial power; I have fought and will keep fighting."
Prasad, who is undergoing treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi, is serious but stable, a hospital official told news agency PTI.
Lalu Prasad Yadav Convicted in Fifth Fodder Scam
The special CBI court had, on Tuesday, pronounced Lalu Prasad Yadav guilty in Ranchi’s Doranda treasury case – the fifth fodder scam case he has been convicted in.
After four previous cases, the Rs 139.35-crore Doranda case is the final case of embezzling government funds in which the leader has been convicted for being a key conspirator.
Earlier, the court had ordered the jail authorities to move Prasad to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences on the ground of his poor health, news agency ANI reported, citing the RJD leader's lawyers. He was transferred to the hospital late on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday, "We've not registered cases against him. The people who are with him now are the only ones who registered cases against him. Those people also came to me but I said no. I said you want to file a case you can do but it's not my work."
Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi added, "I am not surprised that he was convicted again. What is surprising is that the people who accused Yadav, are today with him. Yet, we are the ones who are accused of targeting him. The court is not aligned with a party, a BJP court has not convicted him."
In Prison Since December 2017
The leader was first found guilty in 2013, and then in three more cases in 2017, 2018, and 2021.
In April 2021, Jharkhand High Court had granted Yadav bail in the fodder scam case related to fraudulent withdrawal from Dumka Treasury between the years of 1991 and 1996.
Yadav had been in prison since December 2017 and was sentenced to seven years of jail in 2018 under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and seven years under the Prevention of Corruption Act in relation to the fodder scam case.
The RJD leader was also fined Rs 60 lakh in the Dumka case, and is presently out on bail in all four cases.
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