Lalu Yadav is serving a four-year jail sentence for corruption.
Ranchi:
Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Yadav’s bail hearing in a fodder scam case was deferred today to November 27 as the CBI didn’t file its arguments before the Jharkhand High Court.
Lalu Yadav, serving a four-year jail sentence for corruption, has been granted bail in many other cases linked to the swindle of government funds meant for cattle fodder.
This is the last case and Lalu Yadav expects to be released on bail this time.
In the High Court hearing, his lawyer Kapil Sibal accused the CBI of “deliberately delaying the bail plea”.
The “Dumka Treasury Case” involves Rs 3.5 crore taken from the Dumka treasury by Bihar’s Animal Husbandry Department officials between 1991 and 1996 when Lalu Yadav was Chief Minister.
Mr Yadav had last month been granted bail in connection with the Chaibasa treasury case, also related to the fodder scam. He remains in jail pending the hearing on the Dumka Treasury case.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader has been in jail since December 2017 after being convicted. He has served most of his jail sentence in Jharkhand at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) hospital.
In his absence, his son Tejashwi Yadav has been leading the RJD and is the opposition’s chief ministerial candidate in the Bihar election ending Saturday.
This is the first time in 40 years that Lalu Yadav has missed a state election campaign.
Last month, Tejashwi Yadav had said that his father would be released on November 9 after the bail hearing and it would be farewell for incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar the very next day.
“Lalu ji is getting released on November 9. He has got one bail and will secure another on November 9, which also happens to be my birthday. The next day, Nitishji will have his farewell,” he said at a rally.
The Bihar election results will be announced on November 10.
