Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD party president Lalu Prasad on Thursday moved the Jharkhand High Court challenging the CBI court judgment which convicted him in a 17 year-old fodder scam case.
“We have filed a petition in the High Court against the conviction, seeking bail, pleading stay on sentence and penalty,” a counsel for Lalu told reporters.
Earlier, Lalu was sentenced to five years imprisonment and fined Rs 25 lakh for his involvement in the fodder scam on October 3.
This case was related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury in which 45 accused were convicted by the court. This conviction also jeopardised his future political career as he would not only immediately lose his membership of the Parliament but also would not be eligible to contest any election for the next six years, according to a recent Supreme Court ruling.
He had to lose the post of CM when he was chargesheeted in the case in 1997. But interestingly, his wife Rabri Devi succeeded him and ruled the state till 2005.
Lalu, 65, is currently lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail Ranchi along with other politicians and former bureaucrats. Another former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, who was sentenced to four years imprisonment in the case, is not maintaining good health and has been shifted to AIIMS, New Delhi. Another convict who would also lose his parliamentary seat is senior JDU leader and Jehanabad MP Jagdish Sharma.
Though behind the bars, Lalu would continue to work as party president and Rabri Devi would lead the party as decided by the senior leaders in a meeting at official residence of Rabri Devi.