A Special CBI Court in Ranchi on Tuesday allowed the petition filed by RJD Chief lalu Prasad’s counsel requesting to direct jail authorities to allow him to meet his client as and when required as per the jail manual. Advocate Prabhat Kumar in his petition alleged that he was not being allowed to meet his client for discussion on other fodder scam cases pending in different courts citing provisions in the jail manual.
Meanwhile, anticipating ruckus created by RJD workers after Prasad will be sentenced by the court in fodder scam case RC64A/96 on Wednesday, Ranchi Police has beefed up security on the court premises to avoid any untoward incident. Prasad along with 15 other accused persons will be sentenced by a special CBI Court on Wednesday.
“The court, forwarding the petition filed by me to the jail authorities, directed it not to prevent me from meeting my client as and when required as per the jail manual for consultation in other fodder scam cases,” said advocate Prabhat Kumar. Petitions demanding to issue production warrant in other fodder scam cases pending in other courts for taking my client into judicial custody were also allowed by the concerned courts, he added.
Kumar filed petition in three different courts requesting them to take his client in judicial custody in RC 68A/96, RC38A/96 and RC47A/96.
Meanwhile, despite the fact that nobody will be allowed to meet Prasad in jail on Tuesday, large number of RJD leaders along with hundreds of workers camped outside Birsa Munda Central Jail on Tuesday finding ways to meet him, but no one was allowed to meet Prasad.
Some of them, however, claimed that they managed to send fruits of his choice inside the jail for their leader.
Special CBI Court on December 23 had convicted Prasad along with 14 others in a fodder scam case and fixed January 3 to decide on quantum of punishment for them. Sixty-nine-year-old lalu and other convicts were taken into custody immediately after the pronouncement of the verdict.
This case pertains to alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994.