Lagatar24 Network
Ranchi, Feb 24: Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has filed a criminal appeal petition before the Jharkhand High Court to challenge his conviction by the CBI court in a fodder scam case RC 47 A/96.
The special CBI court of Sudhanshu Kumar Shashi of Ranchi had awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 60 Lakh to Lalu Prasad Yadav. The scam is related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 139.35 Crores from the Doranda treasury of Ranchi during 1995-96 when he was chief minister of Bihar.
Senior lawyer Prabhat Kumar has filed the petition on behalf of Lalu Prasad Yadav. Shivangi who is junior to Prabhat Kumar confirmed the development and said they expect the high court to grant date for the hearing.
Lalu Prasad Yadav along with 74 persons was convicted in this case.
Notably, to describe the involvement of Lalu Prasad Yadav in the scam the CBI judge referred Edward Snowden to Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Einstein.
“The opinion of this court in respect of the present accused person (Lalu Prasad) can be summarised in the words of Snowden that ‘there can be no faith in government if our highest offices are excused from scrutiny; they should be setting the example of transparency.”
The court had further quoted the famous statement of Mahatma Gandhi that earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs but not every man’s greed.
The court also reminded Lalu Prasad Yadav what Albert Einstein had said: “the world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”
