Bihar: Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi Demands Cancellation of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Provisional Bail

He said Lalu was directed to keep away from political activities.

New Delhi, Jul 18: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi has demanded the cancellation of the provisional bail granted by the Jharkhand High Court to Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad for violating the bail’s terms and conditions. Sushil Kumar Modi said that the RJD leader was granted bail on medical grounds and was directed to keep away from political activities.

He claimed that the former Chief Minister last week met senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot when the latter called on him to enquire after his health, adding that Lalu Prasad also met three lawmakers on Tuesday here.

On June 29, the Jharkhand High Court had extended RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s bail in fodder scam, for another six weeks on medical grounds. The case pertains to illegal withdrawal of money from the Deogarh, Chaibasa and Dumka treasuries.

Earlier on June 22, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s provisional bail was extended till July 3 by the Ranchi High Court. The RJD supremo has been serving jail term in connection with fodder scam cases.

Authorities at the Birsa Munda jail in Ranchi had separately given him a three-day parole on May 10 to attend his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav’s wedding on May 12 in Patna. Travel time was not included in the parole duration and Prasad returned to the prison on May 14, a day after his parole ended.

On March 16, Lalu Prasad was granted release order by trial courts from jail in accordance with the Jharkhand High Court’s verdict, providing him provisional bail in all three cases of fodder scam on medical grounds. A special Central Bureau of Investigation court had convicted Prasad on January 24 in the case RC-68A/96 related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.62 crore from the Chaibasa treasury and sentenced him to five years of imprisonment. The RJD chief was also convicted in the RC64A/96 case in connection with fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar Treasury in the 1990s. He was awarded 3.5 years sentence in the case on December 23 last year.

The over Rs 900-crore fodder scam cases are related to the illegal withdrawal of money from government treasury by the animal husbandry department in undivided Bihar in the 1990s when Prasad was the chief minister.

(With agency inputs)