Jharkhand HC denies bail to Lalu Prasad Yadav in fodder scam case

As he has already completed almost half of his sentence, he moved a bail plea.

The Jharkhand High Court has rejected the bail plea of the RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam case for which he has been in jail since December 2017. Lalu Yadav's bail plea was heard by the high court, which asked him to file a fresh petition after two months. As he has already completed almost half of his sentence, he moved a bail plea.

On Wednesday last, Lalu Yadav was shifted to the paying ward of the hospital after RIMS accepted his prayer that cited poor hygiene, mosquito menace and bark of dogs as perilous to his health. (PTI)

The RJD leader has been in prison since December 2017 and was sentenced to seven years of jail in 2018 under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and seven years under the Prevention of Corruption Act in relation to the fodder scam case.

The fodder scam pertains to the scandalous withdrawal of ₹3.5 crore from the Dumka treasury by the officials of the Animal Husbandry Department between the period of 1991 and 1996 when Lalu served as Bihar's chief minister.

"Order on bail deferred due to CBI's delay. We are confident that the February 19 hearing will be in his (Lalu's) favour after that he may release in next 2-4 days, ANI had quoted Prabhat Kumar, Lalu Prasad's lawyer, as saying.

The former Bihar chief minister was recently sent to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi from the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi after the State Medical Board due to his ill health. Lalu's physician Umesh Prasad had said his kidney was functioning only 25 per cent and his medical condition could go down.

Last week, RJD chief and Lalu's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav sent 50,000 postcard letters to President Ram Nath Kovind requesting him to release Lalu on humanitarian grounds.