RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav pronounced guilty in the fourth fodder scam case

Rashtriya Janata Dal Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was pronounced guilty in the fourth fodder scam case by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Ranchi on Monday. After being sentenced to a prison term of three and a half years in December 2017 in the second case, Lalu was convicted yet again for allegedly withdrawing Rs 3.1 crore from the Dumka treasury between December 1995 and January 1996. 

The fodder scam that came to light in the 1990s, involve misappropriation of government funds in the name of cattle fodder. Lalu was convicted and sentenced to five years in jail in the first fodder scam case in 2013. According to Indian Express, others accused in the case include Jagdish Sharma, R K Rana and Vidyasagar Nishad. Jagannath Mishra, former Chief Minister of Bihar, was also accused in the case and acquitted by the court. Lalu, however, did not attend the hearing. He was admitted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Hospital after falling ill on Saturday. 

A special CBI court in January sentenced a five-year jail term in the third case pertaining to embezzlement in withdrawals from Chaisaba treasury. In the coming months, the court will declare its judgement in the fifth fodder scam related to Doranda treasury.