RANCHI: RJD president
Lalu Prasad will have to wait for some more days before he is released despite securing
bail in fodder scam cases as advocates in the state are abstaining from court work due to the surge in Covid-19 cases.
Prasad is serving jail time after being convicted by a special
CBI court in connection to a
fodder scam case related to fraudulent withdrawal from the Dumka treasury. Last Saturday, the
Jharkhand high court granted him bail in the case. Prasad has already got bail in fodder scam cases related to Deoghar and Chaibasa treasuries.
While granting the bail, the high court had ordered Prasad to furnish two sureties of rupees one lakh each and also pay half of the fine imposed on him by the CBI court. The process has not been completed because soon after the judgement, the Jharkhand State Bar Council (JSBC) issued a directive to all district bar associations asking lawyers to stay away from work till April 25.
Prasad’s lawyer Anant Kumar said, “We have not furnished the bail bonds and the fine owing to the JSBC order. The work would be completed only after the JSBC allows us to attend court.” The JSBC will meet again on April 26 to take a decision on rejoining court work.