Ranchi, Sept. 30: Former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra had to be rushed to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) this afternoon as his blood pressure shot up following the special CBI court’s verdict on a 17-year-old fodder scam case.

The 76-year-old leader and erstwhile Union cabinet minister was found guilty of cheating and criminal conspiracy along with RJD boss Lalu Prasad and 43 others.

Mishra was sent to Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar around 1.40pm, but within two hours had to be taken to hospital because he manifested signs of hypertension.

At RIMS, he was ferried to VIP cottage No. 13 — one of the only two AC recovery rooms at the state-owned hospital — in a wheelchair.

In a brief statement to the media, RIMS cottage in-charge J.K. Singh confirmed that Mishra had hypertension and other related problems. “We are conducting tests to further assess his condition,” Singh said.

Later, a junior doctor said an ECG was performed on the former Congress strongman and his arterial blood pressure recorded too.

Sources said Mishra’s BP read 134/72, which was slightly on the higher side.

“Also, he is suffering from incontinence, which can be caused by anxiety and hypertension. Perhaps in court and jail he was stressed and his pressure shot up. He has stabilised a bit, but we will have to monitor him for sometime since he has a history of medical complications,” said a doctor over phone on the condition of anonymity.

Sources said in July this year, Mishra had suffered a cerebral stroke.

The doctor added that the convicted politician was expected to be lodged at RIMS for at least a couple of days.

Earlier in the day, special CBI judge P.K. Singh found Mishra guilty under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery) and 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) of the IPC and Section 477A (fraudulently destroying or defacing or attempting to destroy or deface a secret will) under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.

During the three-and-a-half hours he was in court, Mishra — seated next to the back gate — was seen trembling and popping pills at intervals.

The septuagenarian, who had arrived in court flashing a red beacon atop his car, had to have the VIP light removed after his conviction and on his way to prison.

A Birsa jail official said a cell in the VIP ward, next to Lalu’s, was allotted to Mishra. “Arrangements were made in accordance with the jail manual. But, he came in ill. Our doctors examined him and referred him to RIMS,” he said.