The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chairman Lalu Prasad was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court on Friday in the Doranda Treasury Case, in which a CBI special court had convicted him to five years in prison.
Prasad, 73, was arrested in February after being convicted and sentenced by a CBI court in a fodder scam case involving the misappropriation of over Rs 139 crore from the Doranda treasury.
The CBI, which is investigating the scandal, informed Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh on April 8 that the prior direction of the court to file a counter affidavit in the matter could not be followed by the agency, and begged for further time.
Prasad’s lawyer, Kapil Sibbal, told the court that his client had already served more than half of the five-year term in the case and is entitled to be released.
On February 15, Prasad was found guilty by the CBI Court in New Delhi.
In the fodder fraud case, he was convicted to five years in prison and fined Rs 60 lakh on February 21.
During the time of the fraud, Prasad was the finance minister of undivided Bihar, where he was also the chief minister. He allegedly accepted kickbacks from the department of animal husbandry.
Fake challans and bills were issued, and money was released through the treasury once the finance department cleared them.
