Fodder scam: SC to pronunce verdict on Lalu Prasad Yadav tomorrow

Case involves fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 96 lakh during Yadav's chief ministerial tenure

The Supreme Court will on Monday pronounce its verdict in fodder scam involving Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Central Bureau of India (CBI)'s application.

The apex court earlier on April 20 reserved its judgement in the case and asked all parties concerned to give their submissions within a week.

The court also heard the plea filed by RJD supremo challenging his jail sentence in connection with the mid-1990s fodder scam case.

The CBI had filed a plea in the apex court against the dropping of a conspiracy charge against Lalu Prasad by the Jharkhand High Court in one of the fodder scam cases.

The probe agency then filed its latest appeal against the High Court order upholding the agency's plea to continue proceedings in the trial court against Prasad under two sections, while dropping other charges on grounds that a person could not be tried twice for the same offence.

The High Court had ordered that proceedings against Yadav be continued under IPC Sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence committed or giving false information) and 511 (attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or imprisonment, and in such attempt doing any act towards the commission of the offence).

The charges are in connection with the case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs. 96 lakh during Yadav's chief ministerial tenure.

The fodder scam relates to fraudulent withdrawal of around Rs. 1,000 crore by the Animal Husbandry department from various districts when Lalu was the Bihar chief minister from 1990 to 1997.