Lalu's conviction: HC summons records of CBI court

Admitting the appeal of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad against the special Central Bureau of Investigation court's verdict in the fodder scam, the Jharkhand high court on Friday directed placing before it all records of the lower court pertaining to the case.

The direction was issued by the single bench of Justice R R Prasad.

The former Bihar chief minister had on Friday moved the high court against his conviction, five-year prison sentence and Rs 25 lakh fine imposed by the special CBI court of Pravas Kumar Singh in Ranchi.

In his petition, he also sought bail and stay on his sentence and Rs 25 lakh fine slapped by the court. "The honourable high court has also asked to serve notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation," Prabhat Kumar, one of Prasad's counsels, said.

Several other fodder scam convicts have also moved the high court separately against the verdict of the special CBI court. The lower court had on September 30 found Lalu and 44 others guilty in the case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from the Chaibasa Treasury during the RJD regime in the 1990s and pronounced varying prison sentences against them on October 3.

Eight of the convicts received bail from the CBI court on the day they were convicted. Lalu was also facing charges in four other fodder scam cases.

Out of 53 cases lodged by the CBI in the Rs 950 crore AHD scam, popularly known as fodder scam, 45 cases ended in convictions by different CBI courts.