RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav gets bail in fodder scam, likely to walk out of jail

Jharkhand High Court has granted bail to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in fodder scam case.

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New Delhi: Bihar politician and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was granted bail on Saturday (April 17) in the fodder scam case by Jharkhand High Court thus clearing the way for his release from jail. 

The bail was granted to the RJD supremo by Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh.

The former Bihar Chief Minister was granted bail on the conditions that he will neither leave the country without permission nor change his address and mobile number during the bail period, as per a PTI report. 

Reacting to the bail order, Birendra Bhushan, IG Prisons said that since Yadav has been admitted to AIIMS Delhi, he will be released from there itself. 

"We will go through the order copy, once we receive it. Following the procedure, we will inform the RIMS and AIIMS, Delhi that now he is not a prisoner. Till now AIIMS has been sending Lalu's health updates. He may be released from AIIMS directly," ANI quoted Bhushan as saying. 

The RJD chief has been imprisoned since December 2017 and was sentenced to seven years of jail in 2018 under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and seven years under the Prevention of Corruption Act in relation to the fodder scam case.

The fodder scam pertains to the withdrawal of Rs 3.5 crore from the Dumka Treasury by the officials of the Animal Husbandry Department between the period of 1991 and 1996 when Yadav was Bihar's Chief Minister.

Yadav served most of his jail sentence at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Jharkhand. He was airlifted to AIIMS New Delhi in January in view of deteriorating health.