Fodder scam: No relief for Lalu, SC orders trial for criminal conspiracy

Lalu Prasad Yadav will be tried on criminal charges for corruption during his term as CM of Bihar

In a major blow to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Supreme Court today allowed a plea by CBI opposing dropping of charges against him by Jharkhand High Court in the Rs 1000 crore fodder scam case.

Lalu Prasad Yadav will be tried on criminal charges for corruption during his term as Chief Minister of Bihar, the Supreme Court ruled today, rejecting his request for the more grave charges including criminal conspiracy to be deleted.

The apex court, while setting aside the 2014 order which had stayed the trial against Yadav after conviction in one of the cases, said the high court should have been consistent in its findings and not have given different views for different sets of accused in a case.

It also pulled up the CBI for delay in filing appeal against the high court order in the case and said the probe agency's director should have looked into this important matter and deputed an officer to pursue the case.

The CBI has challenged the 2014 order of the Jharkhand High Court quashing four pending fodder scam cases against him on the grounds that a person convicted in one case could not be tried in similar cases based on same witnesses and evidences.

The 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 the former Bihar chief minister challenging his jail sentence in connection with the 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.