Jharkhand High Court rejects Lalu Prasad Yadav's bail: He couldn't have known

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday rejected Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's bail plea in the second fodder scam conviction pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal from Deoghar district treasury.

On January 6, special CBI judge Shiv Pal Singh had sentenced Lalu to three-and-a-half years' imprisonment holding him guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA). It had also slapped a monetary penalty on him.

The bail plea was heard by Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, who rejected it saying Lalu had not even served half of his sentence. Sources said the judge also found it difficult to believe that Lalu was unaware that the scam was taking place in his state despite being the Chief Minister and finance minister during that period.

Lalu's case was pleaded by advocate Surendra Singh and the bail had been sought on the ground that he was not directly involved in the scam and was instead the one to detect and get it investigated. The CBI had opposed it on various grounds.

Lalu, who is presently lodged in Ranchi's Hotwar jail has been convicted in three fodder scam cases while hearing is underway in three others. His first conviction and sentence of five years in Chaibasa Treasury case was pronounced in 2013 while the third one, also of five years, was announced on January 24. Lalu's bail plea in the third case is still pending in the Jharkhand HC.

An RJD leader in Patna said the family was waiting for a copy of the detailed order before it makes its next move. "In the first conviction, we secured bail from Supreme Court. We have full faith in the judiciary and ultimately, truth will prevail," he said.