LIVE! Fodder scam verdict will have impact on Lalu's political career: JD-U

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Sat, 23 December 2017

Fodder scam verdict will have impact on Lalu's political career: JD-U

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21:04 Fodder scam verdict will have impact on Lalu's political career: JD-U

The Janata Dal United today said that the verdict in the fodder scam would affect the political career of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his party.

Speaking to ANI, JD-U leader KC Tyagi said, "The verdict will have a long-term impact on the politics of Lalu Yadav and the RJD. There is no place for corruption in our society and politics."

Another JD-U leader Niraj Kumar hailed the verdict as a milestone judgment and dubbed Lalu Prasad as an "icon of corruption".

"Lalu is an icon of corruption. He has converted his politics into a property collection center. This is an indication that he has used his money and political power for the same," Kumar said.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation court earlier in the day convicted the former Bihar chief minister in the fodder scam case. -- ANI

Photograph: PTI Photo

Middle-order batsman Kedar Jadhav and speedster Shardul Thakur made a comeback into the 17-member Indian ODI squad for the six-match series in South Africa in February.

The two seasoned spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, were once again ignored as the selectors decided to persist with the young trio of wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal along with left-arm orthodox Axar Patel.

While Virat Kohli comes back as the captain, paceman Mohammed Shami also figured in the ODI squad, in which most of the current limited overs regulars were automatic picks.

Shreyas Iyer has been rewarded for his good show against Sri Lanka in the ODIs, with his maiden overseas tour with the senior team.

Maharashtra batsman Jadhav, who is also a handy off- spinner is back after a hamstring injury ruled him out of the Sri Lanka ODIs.

Mumbai speedster Shardul has replaced Siddharth Kaul, who did not get to play a match during the Sri Lanka series.

Squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the government will remain open to any suggestions for improving the privacy framework surrounding Aadhaar.

Jaitley further said that the issue of 'right to privacy' was "hopefully" settled by the Supreme Court judgement.

Speaking at a book launch event, the finance minister said, "I think if tomorrow you have a situation where either the court or somebody in public domain or Parliament suggests ways and means of strengthening that privacy as technologies evolve for further securing them..., this is something which is not adversarial at all."

"And therefore no government of the day should ever look at it from an adversarial point of view," Jaitley said.

The minister said that Aadhaar was an evolving idea and he is "quite certain" that the last word on Aadhaar hasn't been said as yet.

The government would always remain open for any further improvements which strengthen Aadhar, he said.

"Obviously you will have to make the adequate firewalls, but at the same time the larger public interest will always have to prevail over the individual's personal interest," Jaitley said.

He added: "I am not going to say that what was done by this government was a step better than what was floated by the previous government."

Jaitley pointed out that curb on linkages through Aadhaar has led to huge savings for the government.

On savings through Aadhaar, he said, "There are estimations and its expanding, it'll continue to expand." -- PTI

The BJP today latched onto RJD chief Lalu Prasad's conviction in a fodder scam case to hit out at the Congress, an ally of Prasad, saying the UPA is an "alliance of corruption".

Union minister JP Nadda also rejected Prasad's claim of a BJP conspiracy behind his conviction and said the cases were pursued when the UPA was in power and wondered how his party figured in the matter.

He cited other graft cases involving the Congress and its allies, claiming that its alliance was an alliance of "corruption" and it had been exposed badly.

"It has been proved that Lalu Prasad indulged in corruption and the decision has been given by the court. How does the BJP figure in it? It is the alliance between the Congress and Lalu Prasad's party when all such actions have taken place.

"Over three years after it was ousted from power, we still see one case after another coming out and courts are indicting and convicting them. So, this itself speaks of the deeds done by them," the senior BJP leader told reporters.

Earlier in the day, BJP ally and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan hit out at Prasad over his public comments before the verdict was delivered, claiming he has been involved in corruption whenever he was in government, including as a railway minister, but was "lecturing" others.

BJP leaders have also cited the recent conviction of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who came to power in an alliance with the Congress, in a corruption case to attack the opposition party. -- PTI

Yuva Sena president Aaditya Thackeray today demanded that the age to contest elections for legislative bodies be lowered to 21 or 18 years.

The current minimum age for fighting the Lok Sabha or state assembly election is 25.

Aaditya Thackeray, the son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, said if one can vote at 18 then why can't fight polls to become a lawmaker.

"If one can vote at 18, why cant one contest elections at 18 or 21? In some countries, one can contest elections at the age of 18. Our youth is responsible and energetic enough to be the change and do good things," he tweeted.

When contacted, the 27-year-old told PTI that lowering the age will help youngsters become part of the legislative system.

It will help in deeper engagement of young and passionate people with the system and make it more vibrant, said Aaditya Thackeray, whose organisation is the youth wing of the Shiv Sena. -- PTI

Pakistani troops opened fire on an Indian Army patrol, killing a Major and three soldiers, along the Line of Control in Keri sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district today.

The firing took place around 1215 hours, an Army officer said.

In the sudden firing, an Army Major and three soldiers were killed, the officer said.

Indian troops were retaliating effectively, the officer said.

Further details are awaited, he added. -- PTI

Yonden Lhatoo shares his nightmarish experience travelling on India's national airline, during which money was stolen from him in a highly devious and audacious mid-air scam.

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Minutes after being convicted in the fodder scam, Lalu Prasad Yadav has taken to Twitter to launch a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In a series of tweets, he said, Truth can be made to appear as a lie, as ambiguous or a half lie by concerted onslaught of bias driven propaganda. But blurred layer of bias and hatred will still be removed, come what may! In end Truth will win."

"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. ....But still prevails...In the end though," he said in another tweet.

Lalu also compares himself to Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Baba Saheb Ambedkar in his attack against BJP.

"Had people like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Baba Saheb Ambedkar failed in their efforts, history would have treated them as villains. They still are villains for the biased, racist and caste-ist minds. No one should expect any different treatment," he tweeted.

Photograph: PTI Photo

16:30 RJD alleges conspiracy against Lalu

Minutes after a special Central Bureau of Investigation convicted former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad in fodder scam, his party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal said that there is a conspiracy against him.

"I believe in judiciary but in this case the CBI was arranging prosecution. Legally admissible evidence provided by us were set aside, " Manoj Jha, RJD sspokesperson said.

"We trust the Indian judiciary, but there are other political forces that is determined to bring down the legacy of Lalu Prasad Yadav. We will continue to fight for justice," he added.

The court has ordered to attach all properties acquired by Yadav since 1990.

Yadav will be taken to Birsa Munda central jail directly from the court premises in Ranchi.

Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has been convicted by a special CBI court in Ranchi in the fodder scam case.

The quantum of punishment will be announced on January 3, 2018.

However, ex-Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra has been acquitted in the case.

Fifteen people have been found guilty including Lalu Prasad Yadav, while seven persons including Mishra have been acquitted.

The case pertains to alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief has already been convicted in another fodder scam case that cost him his Lok Sabha seat and disqualified him from contesting elections.

A special CBI court in Ranchi will shortly pronounce its verdict in a fodder scam case in which the former Bihar chief minister Lalu Yadav is an accused.

Yadav, who arrived in Ranchi yesterday accompanied by younger son Tejaswi Prasad told reporters today that he has full faith in the judicial system.

Lalu Yadav asked his supporters to maintain peace and calm irrespective of the verdict.

Many workers from Lalu Yadav's RJD have gathered outside the court premises to express solidarity with their leader who blamed the BJP for foisting these cases to "defame him".

15:09 SSB increased strength after Dokalam: Rajnath

Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that the Sashastra Seema Bal has strengthened itself by creating more border outposts after the Doklam standoff with China.

Addressing the border guarding force during its 54th anniversary parade in New Delhi, the minister said the SSB not only guards India's border with Nepal and Bhutan, it also takes care that friendly relations with these neighbouring countries do not sour.

"The past year has been tremendous for the force. The SSB has increased its strength after the Doklam standoff with China, by creating more border outposts near Sikkim and Bhutan border," Singh said.

He also lauded the force for its counter insurgency operations and anti-Naxal operations.

"People living near border areas should be considered as strategic assets of India. The force takes care of them by organising several events which is appreciated," he said.

When asked about confidence building measures with neighbouring countries, Singh said, "Confidence building measures are a continuing and ongoing process. It is always on and should be always on." -- PTI

Former ISRO chairperson G Madhavan Nair was today granted bail by a Delhi court in the sensational Antrix-Devas deal case in which a loss of Rs 578 crore was caused to the exchequer.

Special Judge Santosh Snehi Mann granted the relief to Nair on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount.

During the proceedings, the CBI informed the court that two accused could not be served summons as they had settled in the US, and the process was still on to execute the summons to them.

The court, meanwhile, took a strict view over the non-appearance of accused Veena S Rao, a former additional secretary in the department of space, on the ground that she had a meeting with the Karnataka chief minister.

"She (Rao) should be careful about her decisions...Since it is her first appearance after the summons, she is exempted," the judge said.

The probe agency opposed the bail plea, saying they were high profile people and may flee if released on bail.

However, except three accused, the court granted bail to the rest who appeared before it, including A Bhaskar Narayana Rao, the then director in ISRO and K R Sridhar Murthy, the then executive director of Antrix.

The court had on September 16 summoned Nair and others as accused while taking cognisance of the CBI chargesheet which alleged that Nair and other officials of Indian Space Research Organisation and the department of space wrongfully leased out S-Band, a restricted wavelength of the INSAT satellites, to Devas Multimedia by Antrix.

The cognisance of the final probe report was taken after the CBI apprised the court that it had secured the requisite sanction from the authorities concerned to prosecute the former officials of premier space organisations.

The FIR was filed on March 16, 2015 against Nair and others accusing them of facilitating "wrongful" gain of Rs 578 crore to private multimedia company Devas by Antrix, the commercial arm of ISRO.

The probe agency had on August 11 last year filed a charge sheet against the accused, alleging they had caused a loss of Rs 578 crore to the exchequer by abusing their official position to favour a private company.

The case relates to leasing of S-Band, a restricted wavelength of the INSAT satellites to deliver video, multimedia and information services to mobile receivers in vehicles and mobile phones to Devas Multimedia by Antrix. -- PTI

Days after their acquittal in the 2G scam, A Raja and Kanimozhi received a hero's welcome in Chennai today.

Thousands of workers gathered at the Chennai airport to welcome the duo after a special Central Bureau of Investigation court acquitted them in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

DMK Working President M K Stalin was also present at the airport to receive them.

DMK's headquarters turned into a sea of red and black with supporters shouting slogans hailing Kanimozhi.

The road to DMK headquarters was dotted with posters and banners of Kanimozhi, M K Stalin and party patriarch Karunanidhi.

Raja and Kanimozhi will meet party general secretary K Anbazhagan after which Karunanidhi is expected to welcome them at his Gopalpuram residence.

On Thursday, the special Central Bureau of Investigation court had acquitted all the accused in the scam, including A Raja and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi.

13:42 Fodder scam: Lalu's fate to be decided at 3 pm

A special CBI court in Ranchi will pronounce its judgement today around 3 pm in the fodder scam case in which former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Jagannath Mishra along with 20 others are accused.

The case pertains to alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994.

"The court will pronounce the judgement at 3 pm," one of the Mishra's advocates said.

Yadav, who arrived in Ranchi yesterday accompanied by younger son Tejaswi Prasad told reporters today, " have full faith in the judicial system."

He faces three other cases related to the fodder scam.

The RJD chief also appealed to his supporters in Bihar to maintain peace and order irrespective of the verdict.

Former MP R K Rana, three former IAS officers -- Phoolchand Singh, Beck Julius and Mahesh Prasad -- are also among the accused in the case.

A chargesheet was filed against 38 persons on October 27, 1997. Eleven of them died and three turned approvers while two other accused confessed and were convicted in 2006-07, a CBI official said. -- PTI

The BJP today accused Congress chief Rahul Gandhi of indulging in cheap barbs and lowering political discourse in his bid to gain power.

The attack from party spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao came after Gandhi fired a fresh salvo at the saffron party, saying if the BJP had a film franchise it would be called "Lie Hard".

"Rahul Gandhi, is this the low level of political discourse that you are capable of? To gain power by all means, would you indulge in such cheap barbs?" Rao asked in a tweet.

He claimed that whatever Gandhi might say, his party would not return to power as people know its "corrupt face". -- PTI

The Enforcement Directorate today filed charge sheet against Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti and her husband in a money laundering case.

ED counsel Nitesh Rana filed the chargesheet before the court of Special Judge N K Malhotra.

The probe agency had earlier attached a Delhi farmhouse in connection with its money laundering probe against Bharti and her husband, Shailesh Kumar.

The farmhouse, located at 26, Palam Farms in south Delhi's Bijwasan area was attached provisionally under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

It belongs to Bharti and Kumar and is "held in the name of Ms Mishail Packers and Printers Private Limited", the central probe agency said.

"It was purchased using Rs 1.2 crore involved in money laundering in the year 2008-09," the ED alleged.

The agency had also conducted raids at this location and few others in July as part of its probe against two brothers, Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain, and others who have been alleged to have laundered several crore rupees using shell companies.

The Jain brothers were arrested by the ED under the PMLA.

It had also arrested a chartered accountant, Rajesh Agrawal, who mediated and provided a cash amount of "Rs 90 lakh to the Jain brothers in advance so as to invest in Ms Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd as share premium". -- PTI

Last week, Tamil Nadu's Relief Commissioner Dr K Satyagopal told Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar that 400 fishermen were missing after Cyclone Ockhi.

287 fishermen are still missing, Dr Satyagopal told Ganesh on Saturday, December 23.

113 fishermen have since returned on their own.

Dr Satyagopal made a presentation to Prime Minister Narendra D Modi in Kanyakumari last week.

We told him what happened and the relief work we had done and would be undertaking in the near future," Dr Satyagopal revealed.

"The prime minister said we should convert the disaster into an opportunity and take preventive measures in future. He also discussed other problems like the urbanisation of Chennai and its solution. We asked him for an enhancement of relief funds and he promised to do the needful, Dr Satyagopal added.

We expect more fishermen to return before Christmas and some will come before the New Year, the Tamil Nadu relief commissioner told Rediff.com, adding, ":After that,. we will take a call on what needs to be done."

The fishermen who returned almost three weeks after the cyclone had no idea about the destruction it caused. Some of them experienced it, Dr Satyagopal said, but on a mild level and were obviously away from its path.

11:27

Congress president Rahul Gandhi offers prayers at Gujarat's Somnath temple. Photograph: ANI

11:24 26 killed as bus falls off bridge in Rajasthan

At least 26 people were killed while many others injured after a bus carrying passengers fell off a bridge into a river in Sawai Madhopur's Dubi on Saturday morning.

"Total 26 bodies have been recovered so far. Rescue operation is underway to find any survivors," Circle Officer Subhash Mishra said.

According to a preliminary investigation, high speed can be the reason behind the accident.

As soon as the incident was reported, all the top officials reached the spot.

The rescue operation is underway.

The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital.

More details are awaited. -- ANI

Photograph: ANI

Congress president Rahul Gandhi arrives at Gujarat's Keshod Airport.

He will visit Somnath temple and also hold review meetings with newly-elected MLAs and party workers later today. -- ANI

President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law $1.5 trillion tax bill, the most sweeping overhaul in over 30 years, days after the Republican plan was adopted by Congress in a major political victory for the US President.

The tax reform bill was passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday for the second time by 224 to 201 votes to clear the technical snag in the passage of the package, which was passed by the Senate and House earlier.

Trump signed the sweeping tax overhaul which represents the most drastic changes to the US tax code since 1986 into law in his Oval Office of the White House before leaving for Florida on his Christmas vacation.

Trump told reporters that he was rushing through the signing of the bill to fulfil his promise to his fellow countrymen that he would do it before Christmas.

"I didn't want you folks to say I wasn't keeping my promise. ... we did a rush job today and it wasn't fancy... we expected a formal ceremony in two weeks," Trump said.

The passage of the bill by the Senate and House of Representatives is considered to be the first major legislative victory for President Donald Trump, after coming to power. -- PTI

As a special CBI court in Ranchi set to pronounce its verdict on Saturday in a fodder scam case involving Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav as an accused, he expressed hope that he would get a clean chit like other accused in the 2G and Adarsh scams.

"We trust and respect the judiciary. We will not let BJP's conspiracies work," Lalu said.

He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party governments since the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee have been harassing him and his family by misusing the CBI for the past 25 years. -- ANI

As many as 34 trains have been delayed as the cold waves continue to intensify across the national capital on Saturday morning.

Furthermore, around 15 trains stand cancelled, while four have been rescheduled, as per data from the Northern Railway.

The Meteorological Department has predicted a maximum temperature of 25C during the day, with lows of 10C.

Additionally, a shallow layer of fog continues to engulf New Delhi, the department noted. -- ANI

The fate of former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Jagannath Mishra and 20 others will be decided on Saturday by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Ranchi in the fodder scam case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of more than Rs 89 lakh from Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994.

Lalu, accompanied by younger son Tejaswi Yadav, arrived in Ranchi on Friday to present himself before the special CBI Judge Shiv Pal Singh.

Besides the two ex-chief ministers, former MP R K Rana, three former IAS officers -- Phoolchand Singh, Beck Julius and Mahesh Prasad -- are also among the 22 accused in the fodder case.

The other accused in the case include former Bihar minister Vidya Sagar Nishad, former Public Accounts Committee chairmen Jagdish Sharma and Dhruv Bhagat.

A chargesheet was filed against 38 persons on October 27, 1997.

Eleven of them died and three turned approvers while two other accused confessed to their crime and were convicted in 2006-07, a CBI official said.

The accused are facing charges under Indian Penal Code sections 120B, 409, 418, 420, 467, 468, 471, 477 (A), 201 and 511 and under Prevention of Corruption Act section 13 (1) D read with 13 (2).

The order was reserved on December 13.

Lalu faces three other fodder cases. -- PTI

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