Ranchi, Aug 06: Jharkhand High Court today ordered the release of passport of former Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, an accused in the fodder scam cases, to enable him to visit Pakistan as part of a peace delegation.
Allowing the request of Yadav's counsel that the passport, deposited with a trial court, should be given back to him as he was willing to be a part of a peace delegation seeking improvement of the relationship between the two countries, Justice Vikramaditya Prasad, however, directed Yadav to hand back the passport immediately on his return.
The counsel promised to return it as soon as Yadav returned from abroad.
A 30-member peace delegation is scheduled to visit Pakistan from August 9 to 11.
The former Bihar Chief Minister had moved the Supreme Court yesterday seeking release of his passport which was deposited in the trial court as a condition for grant of bail to him in fodder scam cases.
A Ranchi trial court had rejected his plea for release of the passport saying the document was deposited pursuant to a direction of the Supreme Court while granting him bail.
The RJD supremo had surrendered his passport to the deputy Superintendent of Police on November 7, 1997 on the direction of the Patna High Court while granting him bail in one of the fodder scam cases. The apex court, while granting him bail in two other cases on December 14, 2000, had given similar directions.
Bureau Report