Relief for Lalu Yadav ahead of Jharkhand polls: HC drops some charges in fodder scam

Ranchi, Nov 14: Giving small relief to Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Jharkhand High Court on Friday dropped some charges in fodder scam case. The court said that a person cannot be tried twice for the same offence. At the same time, the Court upheld the CBI plea to continue proceedings in the trial court under two sections.

The bench of Justice R R Prasad ordered that proceedings against Prasad be continued under IPC sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence committed or giving false information) and 511 (attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or imprisonment, and in such attempt doing any act towards the commission of the offence).

The charges are in connection with RC 64A/96 pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 96 lakh during the chief ministerial tenure of the RJD chief.
The court, however, dropped IPC 120, 120B, 409, 420, 471, 477, 477A and 13 (2) under Prevention of Corruption Act against Prasad, giving him relief under 300 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act and Article 22 of the Constitution that states that a person once convicted or acquitted not to be tried for the same offence again.

Prasad moved the petition for relief under the CrPC section after he was found guilty by the CBI court on September 30 last year in the RC20A/96 fodder scam case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa Treasury.

PTI