Chances of Lalu getting bail bleak, says lawyer

In a major blow to RJD chief Lalu Yadav and his family, the special CBI court on Saturday found him and 15 other accused guilty in the fodder scam case. On the other hand, six other accused including former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra facing similar charges were acquitted.

Lalu Yadav was made one of the main accused in the case.

The issue was raised in the state Assembly in 1994 by BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Saryu Rai along with Shivanand Tiwary who is now a senior RJD member and considered closed to Lalu Yadav.

Lalu Yadav, already a convict in one of the fodder scam cases related to fraudulent withdrawal of `37.5 crore from Chaibasa treasury, was granted bail by Supreme Court in December 2013.

The trail in all pending cases began in June this year after Supreme Court stepped in by setting aside the 2014 Jharkhand High Court order which had stayed trial against Lalu Yadav after he was convicted in one of the cases. Sources claim that evidence produced before the court by CBI during trail suggest that fake bills and vouchers were used for withdrawal of money from Deoghar treasury.

Sources also claim that around 18 witnesses appeared before the court from Lalu Yadav's side while the CBI had managed to produce 120 witnesses against all accused in the case.

According to a senior lawyer Y.V. Giri, “Since this is a second conviction in the fodder scam case Lalu Yadav may have to face imprisonment for a longer period this time.”

When asked about the possibility of Lalu Yadav getting bail from the court on January 3, he said, “It depends on the court but I feel that chances of him getting bail are bleak as he has been found guilty for the second time.”

The scam involved the embezzlement of over `900 crore from the exchequer. Observers claim that over the period of two decades fake bills and vouchers were used to withdraw money from various treasuries.