Jharkhand HC Rejects Lalu’s Bail Plea In Fodder Scam Case

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday rejected the bail plea of RJD surpremo Lalu Prasad in fodder scam case related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89 lakhs from Deoghar treasury in Jharkhand.

Giving the order, Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh said that he would consider the bail plea only after the convicts has undergone half period of the sentence. He added the fodder scam case was a very serious issue.

On January 6 this year, Lalu was sentenced to three-and-half year imprisonment in the case by the special court for CBI cases. The RJD leader along with 15 others, including politicians and former senior bureaucrats, has been convicted in the case.

During the hearing, Surinder Singh, counsel appearing on behalf of Lalu, pleaded that the RJD leader was not aware that the illegal withdrawals were taking place from the treasury when he was the Chief Minister-cum-Finance Minister of Bihar in the 1990s. No instance related to the scam was brought before the Lalu when he was the CM, he said. They also pleaded for bail on Lalu’s health ground and his advancing age.

Opposing the move, CBI lawyer said Lalu was okay physically and is not suffering from any illness. He added that Lalu was aware the scam was taking place during his tenure as the chief minister.

Lalu’s lawyers said the next course of action would be decided later on. They said the legal option before them was to move the Supreme Court or wait till Lalu serves half of the prison term and hearing on the criminal appeal against the trial court judgment would continue in the high court.