In a setback for Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here on Wednesday ordered day-to-day hearing in the Doranda treasury case from August 13, rejecting a recent petition of defence lawyers to adjourn proceedings till physical hearings start.
Courts in Jharkhand are currently functioning largely in virtual mode owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
The case, which involves fraudulent withdrawal of ₹139.35 crore from Ranchi’s Doranda treasury in 1995-96, is the biggest among the fodder scam cases as it involves maximum number of accused (170), highest amount of alleged defalcation and highest number of prosecution witnesses.
Seventy of the accused, including former Bihar chief minister Jagarnath Mishra, died during the course of trial. Currently, 110 accused, including Prasad, are facing trial.
After the prosecution completed its arguments in the case on August 7 in the case during a virtual hearing, lawyers of 89 of the 110 accused urged the court on August 9 to defer the hearings, citing difficulty in presenting “voluminous” documents virtually. The defence is to cross-examine witnesses next.
Rejecting the petition, the court directed the defence to begin their final arguments from August 13, said CBI counsel BMP Singh.
However, the court has directed that a limited number of lawyers can show the documents in physical form while following Covid-19 guidelines. Besides, a maximum of five lawyers can also argue in person, Singh said.
Prasad’s counsel Prabhat Kumar said they will decide on the future course of action after getting a copy of the order.
The RJD chief is currently out on bail after spending more than three years in jail following his conviction in three separate fodder scam cases in quick succession.
If convicted in the Doranda treasury case, Prasad, who is currently staying in New Delhi, could land up in jail again.
