The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday rejected the bail plea of former Bihar chief minister and RJD chief lalu Prasad. The court of Justice RR Prasad rejected the plea after it did not find merit in it. lalu was convicted in a fodder scam case RC20A/96 by the CBI court.
“The court today passed the order stating that it was not inclined to grant bail to him at this stage and thereby rejected it,” said lalu’s counsel Prabhat Kumar. The decision on moving to the Supreme Court will be taken only after going through the judgment, he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, the court had kept its orders reserved after hearing the arguments by the CBI.
The CBI counsel had raised objection to the bail petition saying that lalu was the Chief Minister during the period when fraudulent withdrawals from different treasuries of erstwhile Bihar Government was taking place and that he failed to absolve himself from the responsibility.
CBI has also said that lalu has remained behind the bars for a period even half of the quantum for which he has been sentenced.
Earlier, lalu’s counsel had argued that the court should consider his age, efficiency in the capacity of Union railway minister and CBI’s failure to prove his involvement in the case.
Meanwhile, lalu on Wednesday completed one month in Birsa Munda Central Jail after he was convicted along with another former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, besides 43 others on September 30 in a fodder scam case RC20A/96. He then moved Jharkhand High Court against his conviction and sentencing and also moved the bail petition on October 17.
RC 20 A/96 relates to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury during 1994-1995 when he was the chief minister. The special designated CBI court of Prawas Kumar Singh on October 3 awarded five years imprisonment to lalu Prasad and slapped Rs 25 lakh fine on him. Jagannath Mishra, however, was granted two months’ provisional bail on medical grounds on October 25.