Mishra surrenders, sent to jail

Former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, earlier convicted in a fodder scam case RC20A/96, was sent to jail on Thursday after he surrendered before a CBI court in Ranchi.  The veteran politician, suffering from multiple ailments, however, was later shifted to the VIP cottage of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for better medical treatment on the directions of the court itself, asking the jail authorities to provide him adequate medical facilities.

Mishra, according to his counsel, surrendered before the CBI court following directions given by the Jharkhand High Court, during the hearing of his regular bail application, asking him to surrender before the lower court and then mover his application to it. “The former Chief Minister surrendered before the CBI court as he was directed to do so by the Jharkhand High Court, only after which his application will be entertained by the court,” said Mishra’s Counsel Rakesh Jha. According to Jha, Mishra has been on provisional bail for the last one and half year.

The direction was passed by the High Court in the wake of confirmation of his bail against the provisional bail granted to him, added Jha. The former Bihar Chief Minister has been out on provisional bail within three weeks of conviction in October 2013, in RC20A/96 case of fodder scam. While hearing the petition for confirmation of bail, high court on December 18, 2014 extended the provisional bail till March 19, 2015 directing Mishra to surrender by March 20.

Mishra suffered a brain stroke just few months ahead of being convicted on October 2013 and was also learnt to have been suffering with type II diabetes, cardiac problem as well as urinary tract infection. Recently he has also been diagnosed having blood cancer.