The Jharkhand High Court on Saturday granted bail to jailed RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in a case linked to the fodder scam. He was convicted in four cases related to the fodder scam.

The former Bihar Chief Minister was sent to jail for seven years under two sections in the Dumka Treasury case for the illegal withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from the Dumka treasury.

Earlier on February 19, the court had rejected Yadav’s bail plea.

The 72-year-old RJD leader served most of his jail term at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Jharkhand. He was brought to Delhi in January after his health worsened.

Yadav’s treat is underway in Delhi’s AIIMS. Earlier, he had got bail in three out of the four cases linked to the Bihar fodder scam. With the bail in the Dumka case, he can now return home after being released from hospital.

Also Read: Delhi Court grants bail to actor Deep Sidhu in Red Fort violence case

In his absence, Tejashwi Yadav is leading the RJD and credited with the party’s strong performance in the Bihar election last year. His party emerged as the largest party in Bihar but the opposition alliance fell short of a majority.

It was the first time in 40 years that Yadav missed a state election campaign.

The Jharkhand High Court has sought a detailed report from the government on shifting Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad from the paying ward to the director bungalow and back to the paying ward.

The Single Bench of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh has asked the government to explain whose decision it was to shift Lalu Prasad from the paying ward to the director’s bungalow? Then by whose order he was shifted back from the bungalow to the paying ward?

The court has also sought reply on the appointment process of the “sevadar” to be given to Lalu Prasad and asked to explain what is the provision for appointing the “sevadar”(helper) and how he is selected. The court has also directed the government to present the full report in the court by December 18.

In the last hearing, the High Court had asked RIMS to give Lalu Prasad’s medical report and the jail administration to give a list of people whom Lalu Prasad Yadav met in the last three months. The jail administration was asked to tell whether the jail manual has been followed by those who met Lalu Prasad.

The High Court had issued a show-cause notice to the Inspector General of Prisons and the Superintendent of Birsa Munda Central Jail, as the jail administration did not provide timely information. After this, both had unconditionally apologised and filed a list of defaults and their reply.

During the hearing on this matter on Friday, the government has said that SOP has been made for those meeting the prisoners. Under this, security and procedure to meet the prisoners has been fixed. On this, the court also directed to filed detailed information of SOP on December 18.

Lalu Prasad’s bail will be decided on December 11. During the hearing on his bail plea, different claims were made by the CBI and Lalu Prasad regarding the half term of Lalu’s jail sentence. The CBI said that Lalu Prasad had spent only 34 months in jail, while Lalu Prasad claimed that he had served a sentence of 42 months and 28 days.

After separate claims of the two, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Lalu Prasad, pleaded for the postponement of the hearing, proposing to verify the half-term of the sentence in the court. Accepting this request, the court of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, after verifying the sentence period, adjourned the hearing on December 11 directing Lalu Prasad to file his reply.

Lalu Prasad has claimed that he has been sentenced to seven years. In this case, Lalu Prasad also spent a few days in Patna jail. So far, he has completed more than 42 months in jail, due to which he should get the benefit of bail, but the CBI continued to oppose it. The CBI claimed that there was an error in the claim being made by Lalu Prasad.

Lalu Prasad has been convicted in four cases of fodder scam. He has been granted bail in three cases. He will get out of jail as soon as he gets bail in the Dumka treasury case.

Read Also: Madhya Pradesh High Court grants bail to man arrested in July 2020 for anti-CAA WhatsApp status

New Delhi (ILNS): RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s stay in jail has been further extended, despite his bail being overdue. Today his bail application in the Jharkhand High Court in a case related to illegal withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from the Dumka Treasury has been deferred till December 11                                     

Lalu has been undergoing treatment in custody at Ranchi’s Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for over two years. This fact has been taken as a sole ground for bail in the application that he had completed half of the seven-year sentence handed out to him in this case and in respect of his health condition it is pertinent to grant him bail.

“We’ve been instructed to bring records related to Lalu Prasad Ji’s half-sentence from the lower court and get it verified before further arguments,” said Prabhat Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s lawyer.

The CBI, on the other hand, opposed the bail application, saying that he has not served a single day’s sentence in connection with the case related to Dumka treasury. Agency, in its reply, said that Lalu has so far been convicted by a CBI court in four different cases of fodder scam and in the Dumka case he has been sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment.

On November 9 the bench of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh had sought the CBI’s reply on the bail application.

Lalu has been languishing in jail since December 23, 2017, after his conviction in fodder scam cases. He has already secured bail in three cases and moved for the final one which relates to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from Dumka treasury between December 1995 and January 1996.

Also Read: Supreme Court pulls up Gujarat govt over death of 5 people in Covid designated hospital, says this is not the first time

In this case, the Trial Court had sentenced Yadav to 14 years of imprisonment, which included seven years under Indian Penal Code (IPC) and another seven under Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. Both the sentences had to run consecutively.

New Delhi (ILNS): Former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav was today granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in the Chaibasa treasury case related to the fodder scam. He, however, will remain in jail, because he is has yet to get bail in another case against him, the Dumka treasury case.

The latest development has come as somewhat of a relief for the RJD, just few weeks ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.

Convicted in four fodder scam cases so far, Lalu has secured bail in three cases. The fourth, the Dumka treasury case, is related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.5 crore from Dumka treasury (which is now in Jharkhand) during Lalu’s tenure as Bihar Chief Minister. This case is considered to be more complex. The court in March 2018 convicted Lalu for seven years under IPC and seven years under the PC Act and stipulated that the sentences would run consecutively for a 14-year term.

Read Also: Same-sex couple, married in US, wants bond solemnized; Delhi High Court refers case to division bench

The elections to the poll bound state will be held in three phases, starting from October 28.

-ILNS