Jharkhand High Court rejects Lalu's bail plea

Ranchi, Oct 31 (ANI): The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday rejected the bail plea of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is serving a five-year prison sentence in connection with the multi-crore fodder scam case.

The 66-year-old Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief had moved the court on Wednesday, but the latter chose to reserve its order for Thursday after hearing the CBI counsel's objections to granting Lalu bail.

After the court's decision, some Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) workers shouted slogans and expressed unhappiness over the denial of bail to their party chief. They were then escorted out of the high court premises.

On Sep 30, Lalu Prasad, another former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, Janata Dal (United) Lok Sabha member Jagdish Sharma and others were convicted in the fodder scam case RC 20 A/96, which is related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.37.70 crore from Chaibasa treasury during 1994-1995 when he was the chief minister.

The special CBI court of Pravas Kumar Singh awarded five years imprisonment to Lalu Prasad and slapped Rs.25 lakh fine on him Oct 3. Jagannath Mishra was granted two months' provisional bail on medical grounds Oct 25.

Following his conviction, Yadav has been disqualified from the Lok Sabha. He has been banned from contesting elections for six years.

However, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi had earlier said that this is a conspiracy against her husband who has been framed in this case without any substantial evidence.

"This is a conspiracy against Laluji. The entire world is watching. There is no evidence against him, and this is clearly bad politics. I have full faith in the judiciary, and Laluji will get bail soon," she said.

The fodder scam also known as 'Chara Ghotala' involved the siphoning of funds from the Bihar Government treasury. The alleged theft spanned over several years, and many Bihar state government administrative and elected officials across multiple administrations were allegedly engaged in it.

The fodder scam was unearthed in Bihar in 1996 when Lalu Prasad was the Chief Minister of the state. (ANI)

Why should criminals be given bail as a matter of right?

If prisons have become inadequate to hold the burgeoning number of criminals, they should be made large or the numbers increased.

WE have seen criminals caught in extortion, kidnapping, rape and murder cases being given bail and then going out and committing even more heinous crimes.

I would suggest that people taken in some scheduled crimes like the above should not be granted bail at all, no matter how powerful of rich.

If their behaviour improves after staying in jail, bail could be given after completion of three- fourth of their jail term.

Lalu Yadav has been given a 5-year sentence and many more sentences are yet to come which may total more than 15 years.

He has spent hardly one month in jail and has started demanding bail as if it is his right.

He has been given a penalty of only 25 lakhs when his the loss caused to the government is Rs 37.70 crores.

Where did all the balance money go?

To buy property in the name of his family members.

Why is the government not making a list of the properties owned by Lalu Yadav and his family which he has acquired after becoming the Chief Minister of Bihar and the Railway Minister of India.?

Why hasn't the IT department not been put on his tail?

See the irony of it all.

These criminal loot the nation in thousands of crores but they are made to pay back only a few lakhs.

The Aam Aadmi Party will change all that.

If the Aam Aadmi party comes to power they will be made to pay many times more than they loot.