Jharkhand High Court agrees to hear CBI’s appeal to increase Lalu Prasad’s 3.5-year sentence in the Deoghar treasury scam. The case involves Rs 89 lakh illegally withdrawn during his tenure as Bihar CM.
Ranchi: Today, on July 9, the Jharkhand High Court has accepted an appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is asking for a longer jail term for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.
This case is related to a scam involving the Deoghar treasury, where around Rs 89 lakh was wrongly taken by government officials and politicians for personal use.
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Lalu Prasad had earlier been found guilty in this case by a special CBI court. The court had sentenced him to three and a half years in jail.
However, the CBI now wants the sentence to be increased, and their request has been admitted by the High Court. The agency believes that the punishment given is not enough considering the seriousness of the offence.
The scam is part of a larger case popularly known as the “fodder scam,” in which public funds were misused over several years in the undivided state of Bihar.
In the Deoghar case, fake bills and vouchers were used to withdraw money illegally from the treasury between 1990 and 1994, when Lalu Prasad was the Chief Minister of Bihar.
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The CBI had argued during the earlier trial that Lalu Prasad, being the head of the government at the time, had a key role in allowing the misuse of public funds.
After his conviction, Lalu had already spent some time in jail and later received bail in some connected cases. However, the CBI has been persistent in its efforts to ensure stricter punishment for all accused, including political leaders.
The High Court’s decision to hear the CBI’s appeal marks another chapter in the long-running legal battle involving Lalu Prasad.
This development may once again bring political attention to the case, especially because of Lalu’s continuing influence in Bihar and national politics.
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The CBI’s move to demand a longer sentence shows that they are not satisfied with the earlier judgment. Now, it is up to the High Court to examine the case in detail and decide whether the punishment should be increased.
The CBI emphasized that such a lenient sentence undermines the severity of economic offences committed by public officials. It stated that holding a position of power comes with greater responsibility, and any misuse of that power must be met with stricter punishment to serve as a deterrent.
The agency maintained that
“a sentence of only 3.5 years does not reflect the magnitude of the fraud, especially when the maximum punishment is seven years.”
The appeal also pointed out that the scam had far-reaching implications on public trust and governance, particularly because
“Jharkhand was part of Bihar when the alleged irregularities had taken place,”
and the misuse of funds impacted both states during the transitional phase.
If the court agrees with the CBI’s arguments, Lalu Prasad may have to serve more jail time than the 3.5 years already given to him.
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