Patna: Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has been jailed for five years in connection with the fifth case of fodder scam. The Ranchi special CBI court also imposed a fine of Rs 60 lakh. The case alleges misappropriation of Rs 139.35 crore from the Doranda treasury. The verdict is in the last case of a scam. Lalu, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first four cases, was released on bail. Lalu Prasad, who was jailed in 20217, was released on bail after three and a half years. When he was the Chief Minister of Bihar, a fodder scam worth Rs 950 crore was carried out in the Animal Welfare Department.
Of the original 170 defendants in the case, 55 died. Seven are government witnesses, two have pleaded guilty and six are absconding. Apart from Lalu Prasad, the main accused are former MP Jagadish Sharma, then Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Dhruv Bhagat, Animal Husbandry Secretary Beck Julius and Animal Husbandry Assistant Director Dr KM Prasad.
Tejaswi Yadav, son of RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, said that if Lalu Prasad Yadav had been in the BJP, he would have been hailed as Raja Harishchandra and that the ruling party was seeking political revenge. Lalu has been in jail for years after being convicted in other cases.
