CBI Seeks Urgent Listing Of Plea Against Bail Granted To Lalu Prasad Yadav In Fodder Scam; Supreme Court To Hear On Aug 25

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to list the appeals of the Central Bureau of Investigation challenging the bail granted by the Jharkhand High Court to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in the Fodder Scam Cases on August 25th.

Additional Solicitor General, SV Raju appearing for the CBI requested the bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and comprising of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Manoj Misra for early listing of the matter today.

Background

On 17.04.2021, the Jharkhand High Court granted bail in the case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crores from Dumka Treasury on the ground that he has served half of his prison term. He was convicted in four fodder scam cases pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of money from Deoghar, Dumka and Chaibasa treasuries in Jharkhand. In 2019 he was granted bail in the Deoghar treasury matter. He was convicted in two cases for fraudulent withdrawals from the Chaibasa Treasury. He was also granted bail in the Chaibasa Treasury matter, on 09.10.2020, by the Jharkhand High Court on the ground that he had undergone half of the sentence imposed on him.

Prasad was in jail from 23.12.2017, after his conviction in three fodder scam cases. He secured bail in the four cases related to Dumka, Deoghar and Chaibasa treasuries.

The RJD chief has also been convicted and sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of Rs. 60 lakhs by a Special Court in Ranchi, for a fifth fodder scam case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs. 139.35 crores from Doranda Treasury in February this year. In April this year, the Jharkhand High Court granted him bail in respect to the 5th case.

Case Title: State of Jharkhand V. Lalu Prasad @ Lalu Prasad Yadav, SLP (Crl) 1550/2020