Ranchi, November 27
The Jharkhand High Court on Friday deferred RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s bail plea hearing in a fodder scam case till December 11.
Prasad’s lawyer Kapil Sibal and the prosecuting agency, the CBI, differed on the time he spent in judicial custody, prompting the court to direct the rival parties to verify their claims with the lower court and adjourn the hearing.
Sibal contended that the former Bihar chief minister completed over 42 months in judicial custody, which is more than half the punishment handed down by the trial court in the Dumka treasury case.
The CBI said the court sentenced him to seven years imprisonment under the IPC and another seven years under the Prevention of Corruption Act. It also claimed he had only spent 34 months in jail in three other cases in which he has been granted bail.
The agency said since the court order didn’t specify that all sentences will run concurrently, he has technically not spent a single day in jail in the case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of over Rs 3.13 crore from Dumka treasury.
Sibal also said Prasad was suffering from various ailments, and therefore, should be granted bail.
Prasad has been convicted in four out of five fodder scam cases relating to illegal withdrawal of crores of rupees from Chaibasa, Deoghar, Dumka and Doranda treasuries.
The high court also fixed December 4 as the date for hearing of a case involving Prasad’s alleged misuse of facilities at Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), where he has been undergoing treatment for various ailments.
