Patna: The Jharkhand high court on Friday rejected RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s bail petition in connection with the Deoghar treasury case.
The court observed that Lalu Yadav was the finance minister and chief minister of Bihar during the period and had knowledge about the scam.
Lawyers, appearing on behalf of the RJD chief, had appealed for bail on health ground, which was opposed by the CBI.
“Lalu Yadav had moved Jharkhand high court seeking bail in connection with the Deoghar treasury case in which he is serving a jail term of three-and-a-half years,” senior lawyer Surendra Singh said.
The case pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of '89.27 lakh from the treasury between 1991 and 1994.
The high court is expected to hear on March 9 Lalu Yadav’s bail petition in connection with the illegal withdrawal of '33.61 crore from Chaibasa treasury case in which he was convicted for five years on January 24 this year.
The CBI court had convicted Lalu Yadav for offences related to cheating and criminal conspiracy under different sections of the IPC and the prevention corruption act.
Lalu Yadav, who has been held guilty in three fodder scam cases earlier, is facing trial in three more cases estimated to have caused a loss of '950 crore to the exchequer.
Fraudulent withdrawal from government treasuries and use of fake bills and vouchers in the fodder scam had surfaced in 1996. The officials conducting raids in 1996 had found that money was paid to various non-existent companies for supplying fodder to the animal husbandry department.
Five fodder scam cases were shifted to Jharkhand after the separation of the state from Bihar in 2001.
Legal experts and political observers are of the view that “his troubles may not end soon as he may have to move Supreme Court for bail.”
