Monday, September 26 2005 20:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ranchi: Charges were framed against Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and former Bihar Chief Minister Jaganath Mishra today (Sept 26, 2005) by two special CBI courts in the multi-crore-rupees fodder scam even as Prasad pleaded innocence, arguing that he was the person who had ordered filing of the cases.

Prasad, also the (RJD) chief, faces charges under various sections like abusing official position for causing wrongful gains to self and others, using forged documents as genuine, falsification of accounts, cheating, misappropriation and conspiracy.

Pleading innocence before the special CBI judge, Sanjay Prasad, who framed the charges against the Railway Minister and 146 others accused in the RC 47(A)/96 case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 182 crore from Doranda treasury in Ranchi, Prasad said that he should be discharged from the case as it was he who had directed to file the cases.

However, CBI counsel B M Singh contended that the plea of the accused to be discharged does not stand scrutiny as the same court had earlier rejected his discharge petition in the same case.

The court of another special CBI judge Alok Sengupta also framed charges against Prasad, Mishra and 29 others accused in RC64 (A)/96 case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of over Rs approximately 90 lakh from Deogarh treasury.

Here too the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo pleaded for his discharge with the same argument, but the CBI counsel said that the case had been filed by the CBI suo moto.

Both the former Bihar chief ministers appeared before the courts with Prasad's usual flamboyance missing today (Sept 26, 2005). Accusing the investigating agency of hatching a conspiracy against him, Prasad urged the court to discharge him from the cases as the CBI had been making the same charges in all its cases.

CBI court had completed framing of charges

The CBI court had completed framing of charges in all the 48 cases. Two cases had been closed. So far five cases have ended in conviction of 26 people.

Mishra, in his defence during the framing of charges, said that he was innocent since he had been all along anti-Lalu and had never met him.

Besides, producing over 150 sheets containing the probe report, the CBI appended thousands of documents, which included bills and other writing materials in the two cases.

The CBI also submitted a supplementary report making four/five others accused in which former MP late Rajo Singh was one of them. However, his name would be withdrawn following his assassination in Bihar earlier this month.

The CBI also dropped one name, S K Sharma, from its original list of 149 in the RC 47 case.

The Doranda treasury scam was the largest one in terms of money. However, the amount was scaled down to Rs 139.35 crore during CBI investigations.

This is the fourth time this year that charges have been framed against Prasad and Mishra.

On April 25, a special CBI court framed charges against the RJD chief in connection with fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37 crore from Chaibasa treasury (RC 68a/96).

In May, Prasad appeared before another CBI court for framing of charges in the RC38a/96 in connection with fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from Dumka treasury.

Prasad is also facing a disproportionate assets case in Patna, an offshoot of the Rs 950 crore fodder scam. He had been accused of possessing Rs 42.5 lakh disproportionate to his known sources of income.

In 1997, Prasad had to step down as chief minister following a court warrant in one of the cases of the fodder scam.