Verdict on Lalu in fodder scam today

IANS/RanchiA court will deliver today the judgment on Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in a corruption case.Yadav and Jagannath Mishra, both former chief ministers of Bihar, are accused of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs370mn from Chaibasa district treasury of Jharkhand in the multi-million animal husbandry department scam, popularly known as the fodder scam.Ministers from the department, two Indian Administrative Service officials and others are also accused of being involved in the scam.Special Central Bureau of Investigation Judge P K Singh will pronounce the judgment in the case No RC 20 A/96. Yadav’s lawyer completed arguments in the case on September 17. The verdict is crucial for Yadav and his future as a political leader since the central government ordinance that would have shielded tainted and convicted parliamentarians and legislators from disqualification has been put under the scanner and is likely to be withdrawn. There were a total of 56 accused in the case. But during the trial, seven died, two turned approvers, one admitted to the crime and one was discharged.The judge had fixed July 15 as the date of verdict, and asked the remaining 45 accused to be present in the court. Yadav moved the Jharkhand High Court and later the Supreme Court, seeking change of the judge in the case. Both courts dismissed his petition, and directed him to complete argument in the case before the CBI court.