Fodder scam: Lalu convicted, Mishra acquitted

Ranchi (Jharkhand), DHNS: The Special CBI judge on Saturday convicted former chief minister Lalu Prasad, while acquitting the other former chief minister Dr Jagannath Mishra in the much-awaited Fodder scam case.

Lalu was taken into custody and sent to jail. The quantum of punishment for Lalu and other convicts will be pronounced on January 3.

Seventeen out of 22 accused were convicted, while four, apart from Mishra, were let off.

The judgement was much awaited due to the involvement of two chief ministers and six retired bureaucrats.

The case is related to the fraudulent withdrawal of around Rs 90 lakh from the Deogarh treasury.

While 38 people were originally named accused in the case, 12 died during trial, two turned approvers and two pleaded guilty.

The case has reached its conclusion 21 years after the scam was unearthed.

Lalu was earlier convicted and jailed in another fodder scam case on September 13, 2013.

The conviction got him five years' imprisonment, disqualification from the Lok Sabha and a ban on contesting elections for six years after his jail term ends.

However, the Supreme Court granted him bail in December 2013.

The trial against Lalu was revived this year after the apex court restored corruption charges, and on May 8 asked the lower court to separately try the accused in Deoghar treasury case RC 64A/96 and complete the hearing within nine months.