HC adjourns hearing of appeal against Lalu-Rabri till Nov 20

PATNA: The Patna High Court on Wednesday adjourned till November 20 the hearing of Bihar government's appeal challenging the acquittal of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi in a disproportionate assets case.
   
Justice Ramesh Kumar Datta adjourned the hearing till November 20 as government counsel Vikas Kumar sought time to enable senior Supreme Court advocate Surendra Singh to appear on behalf of the state.
    
Justice Datta had on September 20 held the petition filed by the state government on February 19 is maintainable and posted the matter for admission.
    
The case is an off-shoot of the fodder scam.
    
Prasad and Rabri Devi's counsel Sumant Singh and CBI's counsel Vipin Kumar Sinha sought adjournment till the first week of December when they expected the Supreme Court's verdict on their special leave petitions challenging the High Court order accepting the state government's locus standi in moving an appeal against the couple's acquittal.
     
The judge, however, granted the prayer of the state counsel and fixed November 20 for hearing on admission.
    
Prasad and Rabri Devi have contested the state government's appeal, saying since the DA case and all other fodder scam cases were investigated by CBI, either the investigating agency or the Centre were competent to challenge their acquittal and not the state government.