[Assam] Justice for All/From Outlook India

[Chan Mahanta]

*** Let us hear from all those who have been pillorying Lallu and and 
his Rabri here as corrupt to the core, time and again. Who is right? 
Lallu's detractors?
Or Indian justice supposedly respected the world over?

Or could something be terribly messed up in the SYSTEM?

cm






Lalu, Rabri get clean chit in disproportionate assets case

PATNA, DEC 18 (PTI)

In a major legal victory, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his 
wife Rabri Devi were today acquitted of all charges in a 
seven-year-old high-stakes disproportionate assets case in which an 
adverse verdict would have had ramifications on the UPA government at 
the Centre.

Lalu, 58, and Rabri Devi, former Bihar Chief Minister, were present 
inside the jam-packed court room here when CBI Judge Muni Lal Paswan 
made a brief pronouncement acquitting them of all charges in the case.

While Lalu was accused by the CBI of amassing property worth Rs 46 
lakhs above his known source of income between 1990 and 1997 as the 
then Bihar Chief Minister, his wife was charged with abetting him in 
the alleged crime. The case was an offshoot of the infamous fodder 
scam.

A jubiliant Lalu later told reporters, "We have got justice from 
court. We have full faith in the judiciary. The verdict has 
reinforced our faith in the judiciary."

"We are very happy, we always had faith in judiciary," said Rabri Devi.

CBI indicated that it might appeal against the verdict, for which it 
has 90 days. "We may go to the High Court in appeal against the 
acquittal of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi," special CBI prosecutor L R 
Ansari told PTI soon after the judgement.

Lalu still faces six more cases in connection with the multi-crore 
fodder scam, estimated to be running into more than Rs 900 crore.

Out of these, one case is pending with the CBI court here while the 
rest were transferred to the court of special CBI judges at Ranchi 
since the place of occurrence of alleged offences was within the 
territory of Jharkhand state.

Lalu has filed a discharge petition in connection with the case 
pending in the court here, while charges have been framed against him 
in all five cases in Jharkhand.

The acquittal of the RJD Chief nevertheless comes as a big relief to 
the UPA government, which is under attack on the tainted ministers 
issue.

A fortnight ago JMM chief Shibu Soren was convicted for the murder of 
his secretary Shashi Nath Jha, seen as an embarrassment to the UPA 
government at the Centre. Soren, resigned as Coal Minister after he 
was convicted and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.