Fodder Scam: Jharkhand HC rejects Lalu Yadav’s bail application

RANCHI: In yet another shocker for RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Jharkhand High Court on Friday rejected his bail application sought in fodder scam case RC 38A/96 related to illegal withdrawal Rs 3.13 crore from Dumka Treasury. 

Yadav had sought bail on the ground of completing half of his sentencing.

According to defence counsel Prabhat Kumar, the court of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh turned down the bail application on the ground that Yadav has not completed half of his sentencing.

“After hearing arguments from both sides, the court rejected the bail application saying that Yadav falls short by two months in completing half of his sentencing. We had submitted before the court a chart to support our argument that he has completed 42 months in jail, which is more than half of his
sentencing. However, the court did not consider two month-period of 1997 and 2001,” said the defence counsel. 

Kumar said a fresh application will be filed after two months as per the calculation of the court.

After being convicted by a Special CBI Court in Ranchi on December 23, 2017, in the second fodder scam case involving the illegal withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury, the 72-year-old RJD chief was lodged in Birsa Munda Central jail in Ranchi but was shifted to RIMS on August 29, 2018,
looking at his deteriorating health conditions.

Lalu Prasad, so far, has been convicted in four out of the five cases related to multi-crore fodder scam cases related to Chaibasa Treasury (RC20A/96) on September 30, 2013, another Chaibasa Treasury (RC68A/96) on January 24, 2018, Deoghar Treasury (RC 64A/96) on February 23, 2018, and Dumka Treasury (RC38A/96) on February 19.