Hearing of appeal against Lalu-Rabri acquittal on Sept 12

PATNA: The Patna High Court on Wednesday adjourned till September 12 the hearing of the Bihar Government's petition challenging acquittal of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and former state Chief Minister Rabri Devi in a disproportionate assets case.

Justice R K Dutta accepted the joint appeal of Akhileshwar Prasad Singh, B K Sinha and Anup Kumar, counsel of Bihar Government, CBI and Lalu-Rabri duo respectively, who sought adjournment of the case till September 12 to enable their senior counsel from the Supreme Court to argue on behalf of their clients.

The same bench had on July four accepted their plea for adjourning the hearing on identical ground.

The Bihar Government had on February 19 filed a petition in the Patna High Court against the acquittal of Prasad and Rabri Devi in the DA case.

The disproportionate assets case, filed over seven years ago, charged Lalu with amassing assets worth Rs 46 lakhs beyond his known sources of income when he was Bihar chief minister between 1990 and 1997. Rabri Devi was made a co-accused for allegedly abetting the commission of the offence.

The two were acquitted by the trial court on December 18.