SC rejects bail plea by Lalu Prasad Yadav in fodder scam

New Delhi, Apr 10: Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected bail plea filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with three fodder scam cases.

"We don't think we will release you on bail, SLP stands dismissed", Supreme Court said while rejecting bail plea by Lalu in fodder scam.

The RJD chief, lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, has challenged the January 10 verdict of the Jharkhand high court dismissing his bail plea.

The three cases in which Prasad has been convicted are related to the Rs 900 crore fodder scam, which pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasuries of the animal husbandry department in the early 1990s, when Jharkhand was part of Bihar.

The RJD was in power in Bihar with Prasad as the chief minister when the scam had allegedly taken place.

In the high court, the RJD supremo cited old age and poor health for grant of bail. Prasad (71) said he was suffering from diabetes, blood pressure and other ailments and that he had already obtained bail in one of the fodder scam cases.

He has been convicted for fraudulent withdrawal of money from the Deoghar, Dumka and two Chaibasa treasuries situated in Jharkhand.

He is currently facing trial in another fodder scam case pertaining to the Doranda treasury and has been undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at Ranchi for the last few months.