Lalu Yadav Convicted In Fourth Fodder Scam Case, Another Ex-Chief Minister Acquitted

New Delhi: Bihar politician Lalu Yadav has been convicted in the fourth case linked to the fodder scam while his predecessor Jagannath Mishra has been acquitted by a court in Jharkhand's Ranchi. Lalu Yadav went to the court straight from a hospital where he was admitted after he fell ill inside prison three days ago. 

The fodder scam involves the embezzlement of government funds in Bihar meant for cattle fodder. The multi-million-rupee scam surfaced in the 1990s when Lalu Yadav was chief minister of undivided Bihar.

The court today heard a case related to Rs 3.13 crore swindled from the Dumka treasury between December 1995 and January 1996.

Besides Lalu Yadav and Jagannath Mishra, 30 others are accused in this case.

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Because of his conviction, he can't contest elections or hold public office for years. In his absence, his son Tejashwi Yadav has led the party and was seen to prove himself up to the task when the RJD retained two key seats in Bihar bypolls. 

Lalu Yadav's lawyers say he had expected relief in the Dumka treasury case because another chief minister had been acquitted.

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Lalu Prasad was convicted in the first fodder scam case in 2013 and sentenced to jail for five years. The RJD chief was convicted in a second case on December 23, 2017, and sentenced to three-and-half years in jail. In a third case, he was sentenced to jail for five years; this one was related to money swindled from the Chaibasa treasury.

He faces two more cases -- one in Ranchi and one in Patna.

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The fodder scam probe was handed over to the CBI 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.