Fodder Scam: Jharkhand High Court to hear Lalu Yadav's bail plea today

Ranchi: Jharkhand High Court is expected to hear former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav’s bail plea in case related to fraudulent withdrawal of money from Chaibasa treasury on Friday. Initial hearing of the case was done on April 6 in which the bail-plea was countered by the CBI. Lalu Yadav’s lawyer had asked time to file counter against it. The bench had then fixed April 20 as the date for further detailed hearing.  Lalu’s bail plea hearing has already been postponed thrice. In case of fraudulent withdrawal of money from Chaibasa treasury, special court judge SS Prasad had sentenced Lalu to five years of imprisonment, challenging which a bail-plea had been filed with the High Court. In a development related to the case, a non-bailable warrant has been issued against Bihar MLA and Lalu’s close aide Bhola Yadav for commenting on CBI court’s verdict on Lalu Yadav and for remaining absent from court, on Thursday. Lalu Yadav who is presently undergoing treatment at AIIMS Delhi, was not granted bail by Jharkhand High Court in the Deoghar Treasury case. The High Court had accepted the CBI’s recommendation that Lalu should be granted bail only after completion of one-and-a-half year of his jail term. He was sentenced to three and a half year in jail for fraudulent withdrawal of amount from Deoghar Treasury in the fodder scam.