A special CBI court sent Bihar's veteran politician Lalu Yadav to jail for 3.5 years and fined him Rs 5 lakh, in a second fodder scam case that involves the embezzlement of Rs 84.5 lakh from government accounts.
The overall scam that broke in the 1990s relates to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 1,000 crore in public funds in undivided Bihar's various districts in the name of cattle fodder, besides medicine and equipment spends.
The RJD chief has been in Ranchi's Birsa Munda Jail since December 23, when the court there convicted him and 15 others. On Saturday, he received his sentence through video-conference. Judge Shivpal Singh said Lalu will have to spend six more months in jail if he is unable to pay the fine.
Those present in the courtroom said Lalu's sentence was pronounced the last and he showed slight disappointment after hearing it. However, minutes after the sentencing, a post from Lalu's official Twitter handle said: "Rather than practising BJP's Simple Rule — 'Follow us or We will Fix you'. I will die happily fixing myself for social justice, harmony & equality".
Lalu's first fodder scam conviction came in 2013, when he was given a six-year jail term. He then got bail from the Supreme Court in two months. That case pertained to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.70 crore. Because of the sentence, he was disqualified from Parliament and banned from contesting elections till 2024.
The 69-year-old has three more cases of swindling money through fake bills and vouchers pending against him. In 1997, CM Lalu had to install wife Rabri Devi in his chair when he got mired into the scandal that rocked Bihar.
Lalu's son Tejashwi Yadav held an emergency meeting in Patna on Saturday and said that the judiciary has performed its duty and his father will move the High court for bail.
This means Lalu will have to remain in jail till his bail plea is taken up for hearing. Legal experts said it will at least be a week or 10 days before Lalu actually walks out on bail. "He was chosen by the people of Bihar in an election and he's in jail," he said.
Last year, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar broke his alliance with Lalu and Congress and formed a new government with BJP. Tejashwi said those who had not been elected are now in government and accused BJP chief Amit Shah is scared of his former Union Minister father.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "RJD supporters-PTI")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}