Jharkhand High Court on Friday granted bail to Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam case related to the Deoghar treasury, PTI reported. However, Yadav will remain in jail because he has been serving time in two other related cases.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader was given bail as he had served half of his three-and-a-half-year prison term. However, The Indian Express reported that Yadav, who is currently admitted to Ranchi’s Rajendra Institute of Medical Science, sought bail on medical reasons and old age.
Yadav’s counsel Prabhat Kumar said that they need to seek bail in the cases related to the Chaibasa and Dumka treasuries as well, according to India Today. In April, the Supreme Court dismissed the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader’s bail application in three fodder scam cases.
The former Bihar chief minister has been convicted in four fodder scam cases for fraudulently withdrawing money from the Deoghar, Dumka and Chaibasa treasuries in Jharkhand. Apart from the Deoghar Treasury case, Yadav has also been given bail in one of the two Chaibasa cases. He is also involved in a fifth case related to fodder scam for withdrawing money from the Doranda Treasury, according to PTI.
The fodder scam, exposed in 1996, involved the embezzlement of around Rs 1,000 crore from the state exchequer for the purchase of fictitious medicines and fodder for cattle in the early 1990s. Yadav has been lodged in Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Jail since a Central Bureau of Investigation court convicted him in three cases related to the scam. He already faces more than 13 years in jail.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!