Jharkhand HC defers Lalu Prasad’s bail hearing in fodder scam case

The case pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of over Rs 3.13 crore from Dumka treasury, when Prasad was the chief minister of undivided Bihar.

Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court on Friday deferred RJD boss Lalu Prasad’s bail plea hearing in a fodder scam case by six weeks, in keeping with the request of his lawyer.

The case pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of over Rs 3.13 crore from Dumka treasury, when Prasad was the chief minister of undivided Bihar.

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Devarshi Mandal, Prasad’s counsel, said he needed six weeks to respond to a supplementary affidavit filed by the CBI on Thursday, and collate verified documents on the RJD chief’s judicial custody.

The CBI counsel, too, agreed to the proposal, following which the court slated January 22 as the next date of hearing in the case.

The central investigation agency had on Thursday filed a supplementary affidavit in the court, contending that Prasad has violated jail manual norms.

The CBI also said that his health condition was stable now, and he should be discharged from Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi and sent to Birsa Munda jail to serve his sentence.

The former Bihar CM has secured bail in three other cases related to the Rs 950-crore scam.

On March 24, 2018, a special CBI court had sentenced the former Bihar CM to 14 years’ rigorous imprisonment in the Dumka treasury case.