High Court asks for special CBI judge to try case against Lalu Prasad, Jagannath Mishra

PATNA: Patna High Court today asked Bihar government to file its reply with regard to notification for appointment of a special CBI judge for trying the fodder scam case involving former chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra.

A division bench comprising Justices Meena Kumari and Vikash Jain issued the notice and said it would take up the case for hearing after winter vaccation, possibly in January 2012.

The court passed the order on a writ petition filed by Lok Sabha member Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan.

Lalan in his petition had said the trial of the fodder scam case was pending in the absence of a special CBI judge for more than six months.

The case related to fradulent withdrawals of more than Rs 47 lakh from Banka and Bhagalpur treasuries through forged and fake bills was registered by CBI in 1996.

The central agency had after investigation submitted its chargesheet in the case on April 5, 2003 and cognisance was taken on April 24, 2003.

The discharge petitions of all the accused in the case have already been dismissed by the lower court.

The MP has sought the court's intervention for speeding up trial of the case registered 16 years ago.

Former chief ministers Lalu Prasad, Jagannath Mishra, ex-BJP MLA Dhruv Bhagat, JD(U) MP Jagdish Sharma, besides former state Animal Husbandry Minister V S Nishadh are among 33 people named accused in the case.