Lalu Prasad seeks transfer of fodder scam case to another special court

RANCHI: The counsel for RJD chief Lalu Prasad today informed the court of Special CBI judge Pravas Kumar Singh that arguments on behalf of his client be stopped till the high court, before which transfer of a fodder case has been sought to some other special court, gave an order.

A petition has been filed by Prasad in the Jharkhand High Court seeking transfer of a fodder scam case against 44 accused, including himself, to another special court as he did not expect justice from the special CBI judge Pravas Kumar Singh.

The special court was to deliver the verdict on July 15 in the case relating to the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from the Chaibasa Treasury in the 1990s.

Prasad's counsel, Supreme Court advocate Surendra Kumar Singh said that his client did not expect justice from the court as the judge was allegedly a relative of two Janata Dal(U) leaders, "who are his political opponents".

The special CBI court has been hearing arguments for the last one month and had on June 20 directed the accused, including Prasad, to complete arguments by July 1 and fixed July 15 to deliver the verdict.

Besides Prasad, former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, senior government officials, including IAS officers, and fodder suppliers were to appear before the court on the date.

Contacted, a senior CBI official said, "We were expecting such a move from the accused."

As of May 31 this year, verdicts were delivered in 44 of the 53 cases in the Rs 950 crore fodder scam, which was unearthed during the undivided Bihar regime.