Jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad faces trial in fifth fodder scam case

Jailed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, whose party suffered a major setback in the Lok Sabha election, faces fresh trouble as the trial in another fodder scam case moves forward.

The case

The Rs 950 crore fodder scam, investigated by the CBI, involves the fraudulent withdrawal of public money from several government treasuries against fake bills for fodder and other expenses for cattle. Lalu Prasad has already been convicted in four separate fodder scam cases. He is now on trial in the fifth and final case, which concerns the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 139 crore from the Doranda treasury in Ranchi.

The case was registered in 1996, and chargesheets were filed against 180 accused. Only 116 are now on trial, while 62 have died during the course of the proceedings.

Where the trial stands

The court of special CBI judge Pradeep Kumar had completed the examination of 585 prosecution witnesses and fixed May 27 to begin the next stage, in which the court records the statements of the accused under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Lalu Prasad’s lawyer Prabhat Kumar said the court had planned to record statements of four accused each day, but none could be recorded on Monday because the judge was busy with administrative work. A date for recording Lalu Prasad’s statement was yet to be set.

Health

Lalu Prasad is being treated in custody at RIMS (Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences). He reportedly skipped meals and medicines for two days after the Lok Sabha results were declared, but his condition is now stable. His doctor, Dr Umesh Prasad, said he had been counselled on Saturday night that skipping meals could worsen his health, after which he ate on schedule on Sunday.

The RJD leader suffers from several conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, prostate problems and a kidney stone. He has also had heart valve replacement surgery at the Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai.

See also: political leaders

Originally published on 28 May 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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