The hearing of the bail petition of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was deferred till April 22 after the CBI sought time to file an affidavit. The matter being heard by the court of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh was not in session.
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Kapil Sibal appeared on behalf of Lalu Prasad Yadav during the online hearing. On the previous date April 1, the hearing could not take place as the Justice could not hold his court due to some reasons. The court then posted the matter for today for hearing.
In February, the special CBI court of SK Shashi sentenced him to five years of jail and Rs 60 Lakh as a fine in the fodder scam case RC 47A/96 related to the illegal withdrawal of Rs 139.35 Crore from the government treasury during 1994-95.
Lalu Prasad in his petition claimed that he has become very old and he is suffering from different ailments hence he should be given bail on the health ground. He further claimed that in this case, he has already undergone half of the custody period hence the bail should be denied to him. His lawyer claimed that before the conviction, in this case, he had spent three years and nineteen days in jail.
The CBI said that it needed time to verify claims made by Lalu Prasad for seeking bail. The court granted time to the CBI to file the counter affidavit. The agency has been saying that Lalu Prasad has not spent three years and nineteen days in jail in this case hence it is wrong to say that he has spent half of the total sentencing period.
Lalu Prasad challenged the judgment and also requested the court to release him on bail. On February 15 the court convicted him and on February 21 the court pronounced the quantum of punishment to Lalu Prasad and 74 other convicts.
Lalu Prasad filed a bail petition on February 24. This was the fifth case of fodder scam in which Lalu Prasad was convicted. He is currently lodged at RIMS for treatment under judicial custody. He is in treatment at AIIMS in Delhi in judicial custody.