The Supreme Court ruled on Monday, May 8, that the CBI conclude the trial in the fodder scam case within nine months. Former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav is an accused in the case. CBI had challenged the dropping of the conspiracy charge against Lalu and others by the Jharkhand High Court in one of the fodder scam cases. The High Court had taken the stand that a person can’t be tried twice for the same offence. Lalu was sentenced to 5 years in jail in the fodder scam case by a special CBI court in October 2013, but was later granted bail by the Supreme Court on grounds of parity with other convicts in the case.

The apex court on May 8 also ruled that each offence in the case will be tried separately. It slammed the CBI for being late in filing the Special Leave Petition and asked the investigating agency’s director to find out the people responsible for the delay in the agency.

—India Legal Bureau