Ranchi: RJD supremo Lalu Prasad was on Saturday sentenced to 14 years in jail and fined Rs 60 lakh by a special CBI court in the fourth fodder scam case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from the Dumka treasury in the early 1990s, a CBI counsel said.
CBI judge Shiv Pal Singh awarded two sentences of seven years each to the former Bihar chief minister under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Acts, he said.
Prabhat Kumar, Lalu Prasad's counsel, told journalists that he will appeal to a higher court against the judgment.
Minutes are the court pronounced the sentence, Lalu’s son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav said he feared for his father’s life. “We will challenge it in High Court. We will decide further strategy on the basis of overall judgement in all four cases. I am sure there is threat to his (Lalu’s) life looking at the conspiracy being planned by the BJP,” Tejashwi said.
Hitting back, Bihar’s deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said Lalu must appeal in court if he had such fears. “If a person is under police custody and fears for his life, he must go and appeal in court. What is posing the threat to him? How can he be in danger when no one is allowed to meet him?”
The court had on March 19 held the 69-year-old RJD chief guilty along with 18 others in connection with the case - RC 38 A/96.
Former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, however, was acquitted in the case along with 12 other accused.
Prasad has been serving the prison term in Birsa Munda Jail in Ranchi since December 23 last year after being convicted in the second fodder scam case pertaining to illegal withdrawal of money from the Deogarh treasury.
The RJD supremo is currently undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, where he was admitted last week after he complained of chest pain and discomfort in jail.
(With PTI inputs)
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