Ranchi: Jharkhand high court rejected the bail petition of Indian politician and leader Lalu Prasad in a fodder scam case who would now remain in in Birsa Munda central jail.
The CBI court held Lalu guilty on September 30 along with 45 others in the case.
Later, on October 3, Lalu was sentenced to five-year rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 25 lakh which has been challenged in the high court.
CBI counsel Mokhtar Khan said that they objected to the bail petition saying that Lalu was the chief minister during the period when fraudulent withdrawals from different treasuries of erstwhile Bihar government was taking place and that he failed to absolve himself from the responsibility.
CBI has also said that Lalu has remained behind the bars for a period even half of the quantum for which he has been sentenced. “His involvement in the conspiracy has been proved in the lower court and several other cases in which Lalu Prasad is involved is being heard by the subordinate court,” CBI sources said.
Earlier, while filing appeal petition before the single bench of Jharkhand high ourt on October 17, Lalu’s counsel had argued that the court should consider his age, efficiency in the capacity of Union railway minister and CBI’s failure to prove his involvement in the case.
“CBI has argued that my client overlooked the scam going on in the animal husbandry department but it is a matter of record that an FIR was lodged by the state only after it was brought to the notice of the then chief minister,” said Anil Sinha, counsel of the petitioner.
In the same case, most of the convicts including another former chief minister of Bihar, Jagannath Mishra, former RJD MLA RK Rana and as many as 20 suppliers have been released on bail.
Disqualified JD(U) MP Jagdish Sharma’s bail petition is to be heard by the court on Thursday.
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