Fodder scam case: Lost faith in Ranchi CBI court, say Lalu’s lawyer

The case relates to fraudulent withdrawal of funds from Deoghar treasury in the 1990s when Lalu Prasad Yadav was CM of undivided Bihar.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's counsel on Friday decided to file a petition to move the case to the Patna High Court. The petition claimed that they have lost faith in the CBI court in Ranchi which is hearing the fodder scam case.

Lalu Yadav's lawyer in fodder scam case alleged that impartial rial was not possible in the CBI court.

The case relates to fraudulent withdrawal of funds from Deoghar treasury in the 1990s when Lalu Prasad Yadav was CM of undivided Bihar.

The apex court in May had set aside the 2014 order which had stayed the trial against Yadav after conviction in one of the cases. The apex court said the Jharkhand high court should have been consistent in its findings and not have given different views for different sets of accused in a case.

It also pulled up the CBI for delay in filing appeal against the high court order in the case and said the probe agency's director should have looked into this important matter and deputed an officer to pursue the case

Subsequently, the CBI challenged the 2014 order of the Jharkhand High Court quashing four pending fodder scam cases against him on the grounds that a person convicted in one case could not be tried in similar cases based on same witnesses and evidence.

(With agency inputs)