Lalu gets 14 yrs in jail for fodder scam

In a historical judgment given by Special CBI court of Shivpal Singh in Ranchi, RJD chief Lalu Prasad was sentenced to imprisonment for 14 years in fourth fodder scam case RC38A/96 related to fraud in Dumka Treasury.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 60 lakh on Lalu, failing which he will have to remain in jail for another two years. The CBI court has also pronounced 14 years in jail and a fine of Rs 60 lakh for then Regional Director of Animal Husbandry Department OP Diwakar considering him a prime conspirator in the scam, along with Prasad.

RC38A/96 relates to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.76 crore against an actual allotment of Rs 1.5 lakh with the help of 96 fake vouchers during the financial year 1995-96 from Dumka Treasury.

The CBI court also pronounced imprisonment of 7 years for 9 Animal Husbandry Officials and 3.5 years for the 7 suppliers, who were  convicted by the court on March 19. Lalu, along with other 18 officials and suppliers, had been held guilty in the case on Monday, while other politicians, including former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra held guilty in other fodder scam cases, were acquitted.

“Pronouncing the judgment in fodder scam case RC38A/96 through Video Conferencing on Saturday, the CBI court awarded 7-year imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh each under various Sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act,” said Lalu’s Counsel Prabhat Kumar.

As per the court’s order, both sentences will go consecutively, he added.

“OP Diwakar, the then Regional director of AHD, has also been pronounced equal punishment,” the advocate said.

Kumar said Lalu has been pronounced the judgment under Sections 420, 409, 467,468,471,477A, and 120B of IPC Act and Sections 120B read with 13 (2) read with 13(1) (C) (D) of PC Act.

The RJD chief is currently serving a jail term of 3.5 years in a fodder scam case RC64A/96, related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89, 4417 lakh from Deoghar Treasury with the help of six fake allotment letters during  1991 to 1994.

The 9 AHD officials who were given 3.5 years jail each for IPC and PC Act are Veterinary Officers Vimal Kant Das, KK Prasad, Manoranjan Prasad, Nand Kishore Prasad, Pitambar Jha, Raghunath Prasad, Radha Mohan Mandal, Accountant Pankaj Mohan Bhuin and Assistant SK Das. All of them have also been imposed a fine of Rs 15 lakh for each IPC and PC Act and will have to remain in jail for 18 months if they fail to deposit the amount.

Suppliers who were given 3.5 years jail with a fine of Rs 15 lakh include — Arun Kumar Singh, Ajit Kumar Verma, Gopinath Jha, MS Bedi, Naresh Prasad, Raj Kumar Sharma and RK Bageria.

Initially, a total of 48 people were made accused in the case out of which 14 people died during the trial and two of them -- Rameshwar Chaudhary and Dr Sayeed, were made Government approvers. First chargesheet was filed in the Court on May 2000.

Criminal proceeding against another accused the then Divisional Commissioner of Dumka SN Dubey, however, was stopped after a quashing order was passed by the Jharkhand High Court.

A total of six cases were lodged against Lalu out of which he has been convicted in three cases.