Patna, December 18
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 disproportionate assets case.

The case was significant as adverse verdict would have had ramifications on the UPA government at the Centre.

Both were present in the packed courtroom 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 lakh above his known sources 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 jubilant Lalu later told mediapersons: “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.

The CBI indicated that it may 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 said 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.

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. — PTI