Jharkhand HC rejects Lalu Yadav's bail, asks to surrender by August 30

Ranchi, Aug 24: Granting no further relief to former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, the Jharkhand High Court has asked Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief to surrender before it by August 30. The court also rejected his request for a bail extension of 3 months on medical grounds.

Hearing the prayer for extension of provisional bail for three months on grounds that the RJD leader needed to undergo treatment, Justice Apresh Kumar Singh asked Prasad to surrender by August 30 before the CBI court and directed the state government to provide medical care whenever needed.

Appearing for Prasad, Abhishek Manu Singhvi prayed for extension of provisional bail for three months for treatment of anal abscess, kidney stone and enlarged prostate glands.

CBI counsel Rajiv Sinha objected to the prayer, saying the RJD leader has availed about 12 weeks for his treatment.

Medicare is available in the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi, he said.

The court had on August 10 extended the provisional bail till August 20 on medical grounds and again on August 17 extended it till August 27.

It had on May 11 granted six weeks provisional bail to Prasad on medical grounds and again extended it till August 14.

Prasad has been convicted in four cases of the multi-crore rupees fodder scam.

The cases relate to illegal withdrawal of money from government treasuries in different districts for the animal husbandry department in undivided Bihar in the 1990s when the Rashtriya Janata Dal was in power in the state.

On September 30, 2013, he was convicted in the first fodder scam case related to the Chaibasa Treasury.

The former Bihar chief minister was again convicted in another case related to the Chaibasa Treasury on January 24, 2018. On February 23 and March 19, he was convicted in cases related to the Deoghar Treasury and the Dumka Treasury respectively.