Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad was Saturday granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in a case linked to the fodder rip-off.
The case pertains to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.5 crore from the Dumka treasury by Animal Husbandry Department officers between 1991 and 1996, when Lalu was the chief minister of Bihar. The trial court docket had held Lalu responsible beneath Sections 120 B (Criminal conspiracy), 420 (Cheating), 409 (Criminal breach of belief by public servant, or by banker, service provider or agent), 467 (Forgery of worthwhile safety, will, and so forth.), 468 (Forgery for objective of dishonest) , 471 (Whoever fraudulently or dishonestly makes use of as real) of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corrupt Act.
The trial court docket had ordered seven years imprisonment. His software for bail was later rejected within the periods court docket. As per his lawyer, Lalu had already served 3.5 years in jail.
Lalu, 73, who was convicted in 4 instances associated to the fodder rip-off, has already secured bail within the different three instances, and is prone to stroll out of jail.
While saying the order, Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh said that the RJD chief had served half the tenure of his sentence within the case, mentioned Niraj Ravi, helping lawyer to the CBI counsel Rajiv Sinha.
Lalu is being handled at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was shifted to the hospital from Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi on January 23 after his well being deteriorated. Lalu has been in hospital since August 2018.
Kapil Sibal, who attended the court docket session just about, had earlier mentioned the ailing RJD supremo has served greater than half the sentence that was awarded to him and urged the court docket to launch him on bail.
Lalu lately discovered himself in controversy over an alleged cellphone name to Bihar BJP MLA Lalan Kumar Paswan, wherein he sought assist in defeating the NDA’s candidate for Assembly Speaker’s put up.