RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav will be present in the special CBI court in Ranchi today
A special CBI court in Jharkhand's Ranchi will today deliver its verdict in the Rs 139.35 crore Doranda treasury case involving RJD chief and former (undivided) Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who will be physically present in the courtroom in accordance with the judge CK Shashi's orders.
98 other accused in this case have also been directed to be physically present. When the case was first lodged (back in 1996) there were 170 accused, of whom have 55 have since died.
Lalu Yadav has already been convicted in four other matters related to the infamous Rs 950 crore fodder scam cases - the illegal withdrawals of Rs 37.7 crore and Rs 33.13 crore from the Chaibasa treasury, Rs 89.27 crore from the Deoghar treasury, and Rs 3.76 crore from the Dumka treasury.
All cases relate to the swindling of government funds meant for cattle fodder.
So far he has been sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison, but is out on bail for the four convicted cases; the last (the Dumka treasury case) was in April last year. The case involves funds taken by Bihar's Animal Husbandry Department between 1991 and 1996, when Lalu Yadav was Chief Minister.
He has also already spent over 3.5 years in judicial custody as part of his sentencing.
Lalu Yadav has also challenged all four previous convictions.
In jail since December 2017, the 73-year-old served most of his sentence at Jharkhand's Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences. He was brought to Delhi in January last year after his health worsened.
However, if convicted and given a sentence of three years, Lalu Yadav will have to return to jail.
In his absence, his son Tejashwi Yadav led the RJD and is credited with the party's strong showing in the 2020 Bihar election; it was the first time in 40 years Lalu Yadav missed a state poll campaign.
His absence, though, has not led to him relinquishing control over the RJD.
Last week he made it clear he had no such plans, despite his legal and medical problems, and that his son, Tejashwi Yadav, would have to wait before replacing him at the head of the party.
Tejashwi Yadav is now Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly.