Supreme Court issues notice in bail plea by Lalu Prasad Yadav

The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in an appeal filed by Lalu Prasad Yadav seeking bail in the fodder scam case..A Bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna heard Senior Counsel Kapil Sibal before issuing notice..The appeal has been filed against a judgment of the Jharkhand High Court which had rejected Lalu’s prayer for bail..In the High Court, Lalu had argued that he was wrongfully convicted by the trial court and should be enlarged on bail given his poor health. Further, the upcoming general elections were also quoted as an additional ground to seek the grant of bail. It was contended that being the founder of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, his presence was essential for the party in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections..However, the High Court had held that there was enough evidence on record to show the involvement of Prasad in the fodder scam in question. All the same, it was emphasised that the Court is refraining from commenting further on the case, lest it may prejudice the case of the parties at the time of final hearing..The High Court went on to reject the plea for bail after noting that there was no urgent medical ground warranting the same. It was also observed that his medical conditions will continue to be assessed by doctors at RIMS..The High Court had also turned down the argument that Lalu’s presence would be required for the Lok Sabha polls..In March, last year, a Special CBI Court sentenced Lalu Prasad Yadav to seven years’ imprisonment for his role in the fraudulent transfer of money to the tune of Rs. 3.76 crores from the Dumka Treasury between 1989 and 1995, during which time Yadav had served as the Chief Minister and Finance Minister..In December, Yadav was also convicted for his role in the embezzlement of Rs. 89 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994..Read Order.Bar & Bench is available on WhatsApp. For real-time updates on stories, Click here to subscribe to our WhatsApp.