Lalu Yadav Setback: Jharkhand High Court Admits CBI Plea in Fodder Scam

The Jharkhand High Court has admitted a petition filed by the CBI related to the fodder scam.

Lalu Prasad Yadav has received a major setback ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. The Jharkhand High Court has accepted a CBI petition to increase his sentence in a case related to the fodder scam. The court has accepted the criminal appeal filed by the CBI to increase the sentences of Lalu Prasad and three other accused. The CBI had filed the petition to increase the sentence of those convicted in the case of fraudulent withdrawal of ₹89 lakh from Deoghar in the fodder scam.

The bench of Jharkhand High Court Justices Rangon Mukhopadhyay and Ambuj Nath accepted the petition. The CBI had filed a criminal appeal to increase the sentence in the case of illegal withdrawal from the Deoghar treasury in the fodder scam. The petition filed by the CBI appealed for an increased sentence for Lalu Prasad, Beck Julius, Subir Bhattacharjee, R.K. Rana, Phoolchand Singh, and Mahesh Prasad. Of these, R.K. Rana, Phoolchand Singh, and Mahesh Prasad are deceased. Therefore, the hearing was held for the remaining three.

CBI's arguments in court

The CBI argued in court that at the time of the alleged scam, Lalu Prasad was fully aware of the manipulation in the Deoghar treasury. Despite these facts, the lower court sentenced him to three and a half years for this crime. The maximum sentence for such a case is seven years. After hearing the CBI's arguments, the court accepted the petition to increase the sentences of those convicted.