He is playing badminton: CBI seeks cancellation of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s bail

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has appealed to the Supreme Court for the cancellation of bail granted to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav in a fodder scam case. The CBI informed the court that Lalu Prasad had been playing badminton after being granted bail on medical grounds and sought to have the relief granted to the former Bihar Chief Minister revoked.

The case in question pertains to the Doranda treasury, in which Lalu Prasad was sentenced to five years in prison. The CBI has expressed its disagreement with the Jharkhand High Court’s decision to grant bail to Lalu Prasad, asserting that the order was ‘bad in law’ and ‘erroneous’.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented Lalu Prasad, challenged the CBI’s appeal by pointing to his client’s health conditions and the fact that he had already served 42 months behind bars in the case.

Representing the CBI, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju argued that the Jharkhand High Court’s bail order was based on incorrect assumptions regarding the duration Lalu Prasad had spent in custody. Raju highlighted that the sentences in the cases are concurrent and not consecutive.

“He is playing badminton. He has been granted bail after conviction in the case. I will demonstrate that the high court order is bad in toto. There’s a short question of law. The bail has been granted on the erroneous assumption that he has spent more than 3.5 years considering that sentences are concurrent and not consecutive,” SV Raju said.

Lalu Prasad Yadav cites poor health, says no purpose in keeping him in jail

Lalu Prasad Yadav has been convicted in five cases linked to the ₹950 crore fodder scam, which unfolded between 1992 and 1995 when he was the Bihar Chief Minister, overseeing the finance and animal husbandry portfolios.

The scam involved the fraudulent withdrawal of significant amounts from various treasuries in Bihar and present-day Jharkhand through the use of counterfeit bills and vouchers related to fodder, medicines, and artificial insemination.

The bench consisting of Justices AS Bopanna and M M Sundresh adjourned the hearing to October 17.

In response to the CBI’s appeal, Lalu Prasad cited his poor health and said that keeping him in custody would not serve any purpose.

The Jharkhand High Court had granted bail to Lalu Prasad on April 22, 2022, in the Doranda treasury embezzlement case. He was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of ₹60 lakh by a special CBI court in Ranchi in connection with the fifth fodder scam case, which involved the embezzlement of over ₹139 crore from the Doranda treasury.