Fodder scam: Special CBI court to deliver judgment in fourth case against Lalu Prasad Yadav tomorrow

Ranchi: A special CBI court on Friday fixed Saturday as the date of pronouncement of judgement in a fourth fodder scam case relating to alleged withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from the Dumka treasury over two decades ago against former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra.

File image of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. PTI

The court had postponed the judgement on Thursday in view of the Lalu Prasad's counsel filing a petition under 319 CrPC asking the then three officials of the Accountant General (in the 1990s) be made a party to the case.

“The judge has fixed the judgement date for Saturday in the case,” Lalu Prasad's advocate Prabhat Kumar told reporters.

Section 319 Cr PC is invoked when there is some strong and cogent evidence against the accused.

Prasad's counsel said he had filed the petition on 14 March and re-submitted it on Thursday after correcting some typographical mistakes.

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The special CBI court of Shiv Pal Singh allowed admission of the petition on Thursday.

After perusal of records, the court found prima facie case and the petition filed on 14/3/2018 was allowed, said Anand, another counsel for Prasad.

Apart from Prasad and Mishra, 29 others including former IAS officers and animal husbandry officials are accused in the Dumka Treasury case.

Prasad had already been convicted in three fodder cases while Mishra was convicted in two fodder cases.

A special CBI court on 24 January sentenced Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra to five years in jail in a fodder scam case related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.62 crore from the Chaibasa treasury.

On 6 January, a special CBI court had sentenced Prasad to three-and-a-half years in jail and fined him Rs 10 lakh in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury 21 years ago.

Prasad has been lodged in the Birsa Munda jail at Ranchi since 23 December last year after being convicted in the second case pertaining to illegal withdrawal of money from the Deogarh treasury.