Supreme Court Reviews Bail of Lalu Prasad Yadav in Fodder Scam Case Amid CBI’s Claims of Him Playing Badminton
The Supreme Court, on Friday, deliberated over the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) appeal against the bail granted to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar Chief Minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav, in connection with the fodder scam case. The apex court has scheduled the next hearing for October 17, turning down the CBI’s request for an earlier date in September.
The CBI’s contention revolves around the nature of Lalu Yadav’s sentences. The agency argues that the sentences imposed on Yadav should run consecutively, not concurrently, opposing the bail granted by the Jharkhand High Court. In the courtroom, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the CBI, remarked,
“He is playing badminton!”
This was in response to Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented Lalu Yadav, emphasizing the RJD chief’s recent kidney transplant and his age of 75. Sibal argued,
“He has just had a kidney transplant! He is 75 years old. And now, they want him to go to jail again. At this age, even after having served 42 months.”
Raju countered Sibal’s arguments, stating that the bail was erroneously granted based on the assumption that Lalu Yadav’s sentences were concurrent. He highlighted,
“Bail after conviction! I will demonstrate that these orders are bad in toto. There’s a short question of law: bail has been granted on an erroneous assumption considering that sentences are concurrent and not consecutive.”
Sibal responded,
“He is saying seven years and seven years, so 14 years before he is heard. This is what their question of law is.”
Raju retorted,
“This is the law, and this is what has been interpreted by this court.”
The fodder scam, which has been under scrutiny for years, involves illegal withdrawals amounting to around ₹950 crore from various government treasuries for fictitious expenses on fodder and other requirements for cattle between 1992 and 1995. This occurred during Lalu Yadav’s tenure as the Chief Minister of Bihar, where he also oversaw the departments of animal husbandry and finance. Yadav has been implicated in six cases related to the scam and has been found guilty in five.
In February 2022, a special CBI court declared Lalu Yadav guilty in the ₹139.35-crore Doranda Treasury case, sentencing him to 14 years in prison with a penalty of ₹60 lakh. However, in April 2022, the Jharkhand High Court granted him bail after his legal team argued that he had already served over 41 months in custody, which was more than half the sentence awarded to him.
The ongoing legal battle continues to capture national attention, with the Supreme Court’s decision eagerly awaited by political and legal observers alike.
