CLEARED: Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi interacting with the media in Patna on Monday after their acquittal in the disproportionate assets case. — Photo: Ranjeet Kumar

PATNA: The Special CBI court on Monday acquitted Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and his wife and former Chief Minister, Rabri Devi, in the disproportionate assets case.

CBI judge Muni Lal Paswan read out the charges framed against Mr. Prasad and Ms. Rabri Devi under the Prevention of Corruption Act and pronounced a one line ruling absolving them of all the charges levelled. Both Mr. Prasad and Ms. Rabri Devi were present in the courtroom and reacted to the verdict with heads bowed.

The concluding sentence of the judge was nirdosh pa kar riha kiyajata hai (finding them innocent they are acquitted). The judge offered no reason and the full judgment is likely to be available in a couple of days. The ruling has ended Ms. Rabri Devi's legal problems, while Mr. Prasad faces six conspiracy angle cases in the fodder scam, five of which are being heard in Ranchi and one in Patna.

The disproportionate assets case was an offshoot of the fodder scam and the CBI had at that time even raided the Chief Minister's residence. The CBI had accused them of amassing over Rs. 46 lakhs in excess of their known sources of income during Mr. Prasad's tenure as Chief Minister from March 1990 to June 1997. However, more than 10 per cent of the investigating agency's witnesses turned hostile during the six-year trial that concluded earlier in the month.

It was jubilation in the RJD camp. At Mr. Prasad's residence it was crackers and sweets all the way. Mr. Prasad welcomed the ruling saying: "God is great. Judiciary is great. We always had faith in the judiciary. Our judiciary is alive. I received justice and truth has prevailed. I feel relieved." He said that his stand had been vindicated and the ruling had blackened the face of his political enemies who even publicly speculated on a seven-year term for him.

The CBI's senior counsel, L.R. Ansari, said any decision to challenge the ruling before an appellate court would have to be taken by the top bosses in Delhi. He said the CBI would await the judgment, analyse it and make the necessary recommendations.

He expected the court to grant 60 days to appeal against its ruling.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar declined to comment on the verdict saying that he was not a party to it and that the litigation was between a Central Minister and a Central investigating agency.

When asked if the CBI should appeal against the ruling, Mr. Kumar said that it was for the agency to decide.

Deputy Chief Minister S.K. Modi demanded that the CBI appeal against the verdict charging that there had been allegations against the judge and that the CBI had sufficient evidence.

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