Lalu Prasad convicted in fodder scam case

30 September 2013, 07:20 AM

UPDATED 30 September 2013, 16:22 PM

Star Online Report

Rashtriya Janta Dal president Lalu Prasad: Photo: Reuters An Indian court on Monday convicted Lalu Prasad Yadav, a powerful politician whose party is an ally of ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, in a corruption case that disqualifies him from Parliament and renders him ineligible for contesting elections for at least six years. The quantum of punishment for Yadav, president of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), will be pronounced on October 3. The court of Pravas Kumar Singh in Ranchi, the capital of eastern state of Jharkhand in India, also convicted 44 others including former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, six politicians and four Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers. The case was filed against Yadav 17 years ago for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from government treasury in what has come to be known as fodder scam, reports our New Delhi correspondent. Immediately after the court verdict, Yadav, who was the chief minister of Bihar state, was taken to a high-security jail. Yadav faces immediate disqualification as a Lok Sabha member as a recent Supreme Court order said that an MP or MLA would stand disqualified immediately if convicted by a court for crimes with punishment of two years or more. Reacting to the court ruling, Congress said law has taken its own course while main opposition BJP welcomed it. "The court has delivered a verdict taking cognisance of the free hand given to loot the treasury of Bihar, we welcome the judgment," said BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain. Yadav had surrendered to a court in Bihar’s capital Patna on July 31, 1997. Later, he came to Ranchi following a court order that Ranchi had the jurisdiction of the case. Jharkhand was created after bifurcation of Bihar on November 15, 2000. He had moved the Supreme Court pleading shifting of his case from the court of Pravas Kumar Singh on the ground of political conspiracy, a plea which was rejected by the apex court, paving the way for the first judgement against him. Yadav had been a constituent of UPA till some years ago when he was the railway minister. After UPA returned to power in 209 parliamentary elections, his party did badly in its main base Bihar and did not join the coalition but has been supporting it from outside.