A special CBI court is likely to announce the quantum of punishment for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in decade-old fodder scam at 2 pm on Saturday, reports said. The special court had on Friday deferred the sentencing of Lalu Prasad Yadav till Saturday in a decades' old case relating to the notorious multi-million-rupees fodder scam, for the third day in a row.
File image of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. PTI
The case relates to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury 21 years ago. The sentence will be pronounced via video conferencing even as Lalu had assured the court on Thursday that he was ready to appear in person. He had also assured the special CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh that there would be no slogans raised in the courtroom by his supporters.
According to lawyers, Lalu can be awarded three to seven years' punishment. If he gets three years' term, he would get bail soon after sentencing. However, the RJD chief on Friday moved an application before the court seeking minimum sentencing citing his poor health condition. In his application, Lalu reportedly said that "the Birsa Munda jail (where he is currently lodged) did not have clean drinking water and this may affect his kidneys. He also added that the jail did not have any super medical facilities".
Earlier, on Thursday's proceedings, Lalu had told the judge that he found it "very cold" in prison. Judge Singh, hearing the case, was quick to reply, "Then, play tabla (musical instrument)".
The special CBI court had on 23 December pronounced Lalu and 15 others guilty of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar treasury 21 years ago when he was the chief minister of the Bihar. Six others, including Congress leader Jagannath Mishra, were acquitted in the case.
The quantum of punishment was to be announced on 3 January, but it was postponed due to a condolence meeting held that day to mourn the death of two lawyers, a CBI advocate had told The Times of India.
The death of advocate Vindheshwari Prasad, also led to changes in the schedule of the court's proceedings, as an association of advocates abstained from work as a mark of respect.
The quantum of punishment for Lalu deferred again on Thursday, though the judge had heard arguments to decide the quantum of punishment. On Friday, judge Singh reserved the sentencing for Lalu for the third consecutive day.
On 30 September, 2013, Lalu, Jagannath Mishra and several others had been convicted in another case pertaining to illegal withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa Treasury in the early 1990s. The latest conviction is the second in the scam.
Lalu faces three additional fodder scam cases for illegal withdrawal of Rs 3.97 crore from the Dumka treasury, Rs 36 crore from the Chaibasa treasury and Rs 184 crore from the Doranda treasury.
Published Date: Jan 06, 2018 10:38 AM | Updated Date: Jan 06, 2018 10:38 AM