RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav sentenced to 5 years in jail in Doranda fodder scam case

Former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav has been sentenced to five years in prison in the Doranda treasury case related to the fodder scam. He also has to pay a fine of Rs 60 lakh, the court pronounced on Monday.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court pronounced the quantum of sentence for those convicted in the case last week. The case pertains to illegal withdrawal of Rs 139.35 crore from Doranda treasury in Jharkhand.

Reacting to the development, a representative from Lalu Prasad Yadav's legal team said, "We will appeal in the high court. As per our calculations, half the sentence has been completed."

Meanwhile, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi tweeted, "No one was surprised by Lalu Yadav's sentence of five years and a fine of Rs 60 lakh. It had to happen. Laluji's chargesheet was done at the time of Dev Gowdaji and the first punishment was given at the time of Manmohan Singhji. Still, they will say he's being trapped."

chargesheet @ANI @News18Bihar @ABPNews — Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) February 21, 2022

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on the matter, "We've not registered cases against him. The people who are with him now are the ones who registered cases against him."

THE CASE

Last week, a special CBI court had held former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav guilty in the Doranda treasury case related to the fodder scam.

The fodder scam refers to illegal withdrawals worth Rs 950 crore from various government treasuries for fictitious expenditure on fodder and other requirements for cattle during Lalu Prasad Yadav's term as Bihar chief minister.

READ: Fodder scam cases against Lalu Prasad: When cattle were transported on scooters

Of the 99 accused in the Doranda treasury case, 24 were acquitted while three-year jail terms were pronounced for 46 accused last week itself.

Lalu Prasad Yadav, 73, was earlier sentenced to 14 years in jail in four other cases related to Dumka, Deoghar and Chaibasa treasuries in Jharkhand.

He was out on bail in those cases until Tuesday when he was sent back to jail after being convicted in the Doranda treasury case. Later, he was shifted to a hospital on account of poor health.

The sixth case in which RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is an accused relates to withdrawals from Banka treasury in Bihar; it is still under trial.

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