PATNA, Sept 30: An Indian court convicted a regional government ally of corruption on Monday, making him one of the first politicians set to be disqualified from parliament under new rules barring criminal MPs.

Lalu Prasad Yadav, a former federal minister whose Rashtriya Janata Dal party supports the ruling coalition, was found guilty along with 44 others of conspiracy and cheating over a scam which first came to light in 1996.

The conviction means Mr Yadav is liable to be kicked out of federal parliament, following a recent Supreme Court ruling that national and state lawmakers be disqualified if they are found guilty of a serious crime.

Mr Yadav was chief minister of India’s state of Bihar when some 380 million rupees of public money intended to buy cattle feed for use by poor villagers was allegedly siphoned off.

“Lalu was found guilty of criminal conspiracy, corruption and cheating,” A. K. Singh, a lawyer for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which led the trial, told reporters.

Mr Yadav did not say anything to media as he was escorted by police from the packed special CBI court in the city of Ranchi in the state of Jharkhand, which was part of Bihar until 2000.

The veteran politician was taken to prison before sentencing by the CBI court on Thursday, a police official in Ranchi said. He could face a minimum of four years in jail, according to local media reports.

The 66-year-old, known for his often amusing oratory in parliament, was born into a cow herder’s family and is an outspoken critic of the Indian elite. He has always denied any wrongdoing over the so-called fodder scam.

His conviction comes after political controversy erupted last week over the Supreme Court’s ruling in July that lawmakers should be barred if they are found guilty in criminal cases carrying jail terms of more than two years.

The Congress-led government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh drew up an executive order to negate the decision and shield convicted lawmakers from being ejected ahead of national elections next year.

But Congress party scion Rahul Gandhi called the order “nonsense” in a surprise move on Friday that left the government red-faced. The order still needs the president’s approval and its future is unclear after Mr Gandhi’s comments.

If it fails to go into force, Mr Yadav would be among the first thrown out. A Congress MP, Rashid Masood, is also set to lose his seat in parliament after being convicted in a separate corruption case earlier this month.

One of Mr Yadav’s sons said his father would appeal against the conviction, claiming he was being made a scapegoat for the scam.—AFP