Ranchi: RJD president Lalu Prasad was released from jail Thursday evening after completion of bail formalities in the special CBI court in Ranchi.
After the Bar Council of India allowed lawyers to attend necessary court works, Prasad's lawyers submitted a bail bond and two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each in the Ranchi CBI court during the day.
Accordingly, judge M K Mishra issued a release order of the RJD supremo.
Inspector General of Prison department Virendra Bhusan told media that after fulfillment of the bail conditions in the Ranchi CBI court the order reached Birsa Munda jail which sent a mail to the competent authorities in AIIMS New Delhi, where the RJD boss is undergoing treatment in judicial custody, and he was set free this evening.
Prasad will,however, stay in AIIMS for some more time for treatment of his ailments as desired by his family.
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The Jharkhand High Court had granted bail to Prasad in the last pending case related to the Dumka treasury on April 17.
Initially, Prasad's lawyers had planned to move the Special CBI court in Ranchi for fulfilling the bail conditions at the earliest on April 19, but they could not do so as lawyers had stopped attending courts following Jharkhand bar council's directives in the wake of surging coronavirus cases which had infected many judicial staff too.
The restrictions were meant for one week but subsequently, it was extended by another week till May 2 on the same ground.
But, the Bar Council of India's permission came as a relief to Prasad whose lawyers completed the process in the Ranchi court.
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If things would have materialised on time, Prasad could have been freed after 39 months and 25 days of incarceration.
But, the matter got delayed for some more time.
While allowing bail prayer of Prasad, Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh had directed him to submit his passport and not leave the country without permission.
The court had also instructed him not to change his address and mobile number during the bail period.
The single bench had further directed him to deposit Rs 5 lakh penalty amount each in two cases-one under IPC sections and another Corruption Act- and two sureties of Rs one lakh each.
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While sentencing Prasad in the Dumka case on March 24, 2018 to 14 years in jail, a special CBI court of Ranchi had also imposed a fine of Rs 60 lakh, Rs 30 lakh each under IPC sections and corruption Act.
The instant case is related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from the Dumka treasury in the early 1990s.
Prasad had acquired bail in three other cases of the fodder scam-Deogarh, Chaibasa and Ranchi's Doranda treasury- and was waiting for judgement in the Dumka case.
The 73-year-old RJD supremo was airlifted to AIIMS New Delhi on January 24 last in view of his bad health. The Rs 950 crore fodder scam took place in the Animal Husbandry department in Bihar when Prasad was the chief minister.
Lalu is in Ranchi jail after his sentence in Rs 89 lakh Deogarh treasury case on December 23, 2017.
The RJD chief's son and leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav had earlier said that notwithstanding bail and even after completion of the release procedure, seeing his medical condition Prasad would continue in Delhi AIIMS for some more time and would come to Patna residence only after recuperating fully and on advise of the attending doctors.
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PTI
