Ranchi, Jan 24: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was convicted in the third fodder scam case on Friday.

The Special CBI Court in Ranchi held Lalu, along with ex-CM Jagannath Mishra guilty, declaring five years of jail term for both of them. The duo have also been fined Rs 5 lakh each.

Reacting to his father's conviction, Lalu's son Tejashwi Yadav said, "People know how BJP, RSS and more importantly Nitish Kumar have conspired against Lalu ji. We will approach higher courts against all these verdicts."

The conviction of Lalu comes nearly a month after the Special CBI Court had convicted him in the second fodder scam, where he was accused of embezzling funds to the tune of Rs 89 crore, during his reign as the chief minister. Mishra, however, was acquitted in the case.

The third fodder scam is related to the embezzlement of nearly Rs 3,367 crore from the Chaibasa treasury in 1992-93. The amount was withdrawn using fake appointment letters, reports said. The actual sanction amount was Rs 7,10 lakh.

Lalu is currently lodged in Jharkhand's Birsa Munda jail, after the court sentenced him to three and a half years of imprisonment after his conviction in the second fodder scam. Lalu's counsel has moved the Patna High Court challenging his conviction.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 24, 2018 12:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).