by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Ranchi : Former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday surrendered in a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here to serve his sentence in a fodder scam case.
Lalu Prasad surrendered before Justice S.S. Prasad, who sent him to the Birsa Munda Central Jail.
From jail he could later be shifted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for treatment, the judge said.
The Jharkhand High Court on August 24 had directed him to surrender by August 30. He was out on provisional bail since May 11.
The RJD chief arrived here in Jharkhand late on Wednesday to surrender in the court.
State leaders including former Union Minister and Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay and former Jharkhand Chief Ministers — Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajantarik chief Babulal Marandi — met him at a guest house where he was staying.
Before surrendering, Lalu Prasad told reporters: “I have faith in the judiciary.”
He was in Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Central Jail after being convicted in December 2017 in a fodder scam case.
He was convicted in two more cases in January and March and awarded 14 years imprisonment.
In 2013, Lalu Prasad was convicted in the first fodder scam case and sentenced to jail for five years.
The multi-million fodder scam had surfaced in the 1990s when he was the Bihar Chief Minister. At the directive of the Patna High Court, the probe was handed over to the CBI.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : A city court on Monday issued summons to former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav and others in connection with the 2006 IRCTC hotels maintenance contract case.
The case relates to alleged irregularities in the allotment of contracts of two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006 to a private firm involving a bribe in the form of a three-acre commercial plot at a prime location in Patna district.
After taking cognisance of the charge sheet, Special Judge Arvind Kumar asked them to appear in court on August 31.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April filed the charge sheet in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels maintenance contract case against 12 people and two companies.
Among those named in the chargesheet were Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, his son and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, former Managing Director of IRCTC P.K. Goel, Sujata Hotels directors Vinay and Vijay Kochhar, Sarala Gupta — wife of Prem Chand Gupta, RJD MP.
The CBI charge sheet also named Additional Member of the Railway Board B.K. Agarwal, who was then Group General Manager (GGM) of the IRCTC.
The central probe agency also named former GGM of IRCTC V.K. Asthana, R.K. Gogia — then GGM (company secretary) of IRCTC, Ramesh Saxena — then IRCTC Director, and Sujata Hotels Pvt Ltd.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Ranchi : Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad will be jailed for 14 years in the fourth fodder scam case he has been convicted in, with a special CBI court here on Saturday sentencing him to seven years each in two cases under it, and ordering the sentences run consecutively.
Pronouncing the sentence, CBI judge Shivpal Singh sentenced the Rashtriya Janatya Dal (RJD) supremo to seven years rigorous imprisonment on the various sections of the Indian Penal Code he has been charged under and levied a fine of Rs 30 lakh, which if unpaid, would entail a further year’s simple imprisonment.
Lalu Prasad was sentenced to a similar sentence and fine on the charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“The sentences run in the consecutive way, not concurrently,” says the judgment of the special court.
The court on March 19 convicted Lalu Prasad in the fourth fodder scam case but acquitted another former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra.
Both Lalu Prasad and Mishra are facing five cases each in the fodder scam in Ranchi.
There were 31 accused in this case, of which 19 were convicted and 12 acquitted.
Lalu Prasad was convicted in the first fodder scam case in 2013 and awarded five years in jail.
He was convicted by a special CBI court in the second case on December 23, 2017, and awarded three and half years’ imprisonment on January 6.
He was convicted in the third case on January 24, related to fraudulent withdrawals from the Chaibasa treasury, and got a five-year jail term.
The multi-million-rupee fodder scam surfaced in the 1990s when Lalu Prasad was Chief Minister of undivided Bihar. The probe was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation on the Patna High Court’s order.
The bulk of the cases were transferred to Ranchi after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
By Nityanand Shukla,
Ranchi : In a huge setback to the RJD, its supremo Lalu Prasad was on Saturday sentenced to three-and-a-half-years jail in a fodder scam case.
After three days of arguments on the quantum of punishment, special CBI judge Shivpal Singh pronounced the order through video conferencing.
As the CBI judge was delivering the sentence, Lalu Prasad, who is at present lodged in the Central Jail here, was standing with folded hands.
The court also slapped two fines of Rs 5 lakh each on the former Bihar Chief Minister. If the fine is not deposited, he will have to stay in jail for another six months.
The court convicted Lalu Prasad and 15 others on December 23 in the case relating to the multi-million-rupee scam.
Lalu Prasad was sentenced to three-and-a-half years imprisonment on offences of cheating, along with criminal conspiracy under the the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
He was also sentenced to the same period under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA). Both punishment will go simultaneously.
The sentences range from three-and-a-half-years to seven years imprisonment. The maximum fine imposed was Rs 10 lakh, slapped on three convicts including Jagdish Sharma, former Public Accounts Committee chairman, while they and three others got the seven years in jail too. Thre remaining nine were also sentenced to three and half years in jail.
The arguments on quantum of sentence had been going on since Thursday when those of five convicts were heard and another five, including Lalu Prasad, was heard on Friday.
While hearing arguments of quantum of sentence, the judge observed that the convicts “should be kept in open jail as they have experience in looking after cows”.
The CBI court had acquitted another former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra and five others in the case, relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 84.5 lakh from the Deoghar district treasury between 1990 and 1994 in then undivided Bihar.
Lalu Prasad was the Chief Minister of the undivided state from 1990 to 1997.
Convicted in another fodder scam case in 2013, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment and is on bail.
He was facing a total five cases in the fodder scam and the judgment in two more cases are likely to be pronounced within one month.
The multi-million-fodder scam surfaced in 1996 and at directive of Patna High Court, the investigation was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). When Lalu Prasad moved the Supreme Court against high court order, the SC ordered the Patna High Court to monitor the investigation.
Lalu Prasad had to step down as Chief Minister post in 1997 following his arrest in the scam.
A total of 62 cases were filed by the CBI and majority of them were transferred Ranchi after Jharkhand was carved out from Bihar in 2000. The special CBI court has delivered judgment in 48 cases and several politicians, bureaucrats and others have been convicted.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
By Nityanand Shukla,
Ranchi : A special CBI court on Saturday convicted RJD chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad and 15 others in a case relating to the multi-million rupee fodder scam.
The court acquitted another former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra and five others in the case, related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 84.5 lakh from the Deoghar district treasury.
The CBI court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on January 3.
Lalu Prasad has been sent to jail. Angry RJD workers tried to stop the police vehicle when Lalu Prasad was being taken to jail.
Special CBI Judge Shivpal Singh delivered the judgment at around 3.40 p.m.
The accused persons appeared at the CBI court at 11 a.m. and judgment was deferred till 3 p.m.
According to a lawyer, the trial in the case was completed on December 13 in a special CBI court of Ranchi.
There were 34 accused in the case and 11 died during trial, while one turned CBI approver and admitted the crime.
The CBI judge first read the six names who were acquitted. The acquitted people include Mishra, former Bihar Minister Vidya Sagar Nisad and then Public Accounts Committee chairman Dhruva Bhagat.
Speaking to reporters on the judgment, senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said “We are disappointed with the judgment. In the same case Jagannath Mishra has been acquitted. Lalu had got jail, while Mishra has got bail. This is the game of Narendra Modi.”
Lalu Prasad and Mishra are already convicted in a fodder scam case in 2013 and are out on bail.
Both are accused in four fodder scam cases. The trial in two other cases is going on in special CBI courts of Ranchi.
The trial in three cases gained momentum in May this year after the Supreme Court directed that the trial be completed in nine months.
In Patna, the Rashtriya Janata Dal said it will challenge the verdict in the High Court.
“The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will challenge the special CBI court’s order in the High Court soon,” senior party leader Jagdanand Singh, considered close to Lalu Prasad, told the media.
A former state Minister, Singh has termed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as “tota” (parrot) and robot, controlled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government.
In New Delhi, RJD leader Manoj Jha said that the “caged parrot” (referring to the CBI) has been “unleashed on political rivals” who do not bow before the BJP.
He said the decision would not weaken the RJD workers’ resolve to fight back its rivals politically.
Targeting the BJP, Jha said that 11, Ashok Road (BJP headquarter in Delhi) was a “washing machine” that washes away all the taints of any person who bows before the party.
—IANS
