Paswan assures support to Lalu following fodder scam verdict

Lok Janshakti Party president Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday said that the law is taking its own course in the fodder scam case surrounding former Bihar chief Ministers Dr. Jagannath Mishra and Lalu Prasad Yadav, and assured his party's full support to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) during this tough time.

"We cannot say anything as it is the judgment by the court. There are always ups and down in politics, we have to face it. In this political turmoil, RJD and Lok Janshakti Party will be together," he said.

In a major blow to RJD before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Lalu was today convicted by a special CBI court in Ranchi in a fodder scam case that disqualifies him from Parliament and renders him ineligible for contesting elections for at least six years.

The RJD chief, who faces a minimum jail term of three years and a maximum of seven years, has now been taken into custody and taken to Ranchi's Birsa Munda Jail.

As per a recent Supreme Court verdict, a legislator convicted in a case where the minimum sentence is two years in jail will lose his or her seat immediately.

Another 44 accused, including former Bihar Chief Minister Dr. Jagannath Mishra, six politicians and four IAS officers, were also convicted by court of Pravas Kumar Singh for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury.

The court has fixed October 3 for pronouncement of sentence against Yadav, Mishra and others.

The fodder scam also known as "Chara Ghotala" involved the siphoning of funds from the Bihar Government treasury. The alleged theft spanned over several years, and many Bihar state government administrative officials across multiple administrations were allegedly engaged in it.

The fodder scam was unearthed in Bihar in 1996 when Lalu Prasad was the Chief Minister of the state. He had resigned from the post in 1997 after a court issued an arrest warrant against him in connection with one of the cases.