Patna: Patna High Court on Wednesday asked Bihar
government to file its reply with regard to notification for
appointment of a special CBI judge for trying the fodder scam
case involving former chief ministers Lalu Prasad and
Jagannath Mishra.
A division bench comprising Justices Meena Kumari and
Vikash Jain issued the notice and said it would take up the
case for hearing after winter vacation, possibly in January
2012.
The court passed the order on a writ petition filed by
Lok Sabha member Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan.
Lalan in his petition had said the trial of the fodder
scam case was pending in the absence of a special CBI judge
for more than six months.
The case related to fraudulent withdrawals of more than
Rs 47 lakh from Banka and Bhagalpur treasuries through forged
and fake bills was registered by CBI in 1996.
The central agency had after investigation submitted
its chargesheet in the case on April 5, 2003 and cognisance
was taken on April 24, 2003.
The discharge petitions of all the accused in the case
have already been dismissed by the lower court.
The MP has sought the court`s intervention for speeding
up trial of the case registered 16 years ago.
Former chief ministers Lalu Prasad, Jagannath Mishra,
ex-BJP MLA Dhruv Bhagat, JD(U) MP Jagdish Sharma, besides
former state Animal Husbandry Minister V S Nishadh are among
33 people named accused in the case.
PTI
