RANCHI: A Central Bureau of Investigation (BCI) court on Thursday sentenced former chief minister of India’s Bihar state and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief party Lalu Prasad Yadav to five-year in jail and slapped a fine of Rs 25 lakh in a multi-million fodder scam case.
Following the conviction, the 66-year-oldYadav stands disqualified as Lok Sabha member and becomes ineligible for contesting elections for at least six years.
The CBI court also awarded another former chief minister Jagannath Mishra four years in jail.
The spokesperson for the RJD Manoj Jha said that the party has re-organised itself and will hold fort till their leader is back.
“We will miss his presence, but as a party we have grown in strength in the past few years,” he said.
Congress leader Jagdambika Pal said, “Lalu Prasad Yadav can appeal to a higher court and seek justice. This sentence is not the end of the road for him.”
The RJD chief among 45 others accused including former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, six politicians and four India Administrative Service (IAS) officers was convicted on Monday by a special court in Ranchi in the eastern state of Jharkhand for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury in the 1990s.
