Lalu Prasad Yadav to appear in court in two other fodder scam cases

RANCHI: Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad, who was sentenced to five years in prison in a fodder scam case, is likely to appear through video conferencing before CBI courts in two other fodder scam cases on October 7 and October 8.

Prasad's counsels today petitioned the courts to issue production warrants to the Birsa Munda Central Jail authorities, where he is lodged along with other fodder scam convicts.

"As per law, after conviction, a person can't be represented by lawyers as that person is taken into judicial custody," Prasad's counsel Prabhat Kumar said.

"So we have petitioned the courts to issue production warrants to the jail authorities for his appearance in court on the dates," Kumar said.

"The courts have issued orders that if witnesses related to Prasad are there on October 6 and 7, his appearance will likely be taken through video conferencing," Kumar added.

The petition came after the courts fixed dates in two fodder cases to record statements of witnesses.

Special judges A K Mishra and Sitaram are hearing the two case related to fraudulent withdrawal of money from two different treasuries in the 1990s.

Prasad, who has been sentenced to five years imprisonment and fined Rs 25 lakh in one of the two cases pertaining to illegal withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore, is facing four other fodder scam cases.

So far, 45 of the 53 cases have concluded in convictions by the Special CBI courts here.