The hearing of the bail petition of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu
Prasad Yadav was deferred after the court of Justice Aparesh Kumar
Singh was not in session. No fresh date has been allocated.
Senior lawyer of Jharkhand High Court Prabhat Kumar who represents
Lalu Prasad said that due to some unavoidable reasons the learned
Justice. “No fresh date has been given. Hopefully, if the learned
Justice holds the court next Tuesday then the matter may be taken up,”
said the lawyer. The last hearing of his case was done on March 11.
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 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 who filed bail petition on February 24 said that in this
case he spent three years and nineteen days in jail hence he should be
released in this case on bail.
Lalu Prasad pleaded that he has been ailing and old hence he should be
released on bail. But the CBI has a different contention. The agency
claims 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.
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.