Ranchi, May 8
The Special CBI court here on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants against the former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, and another ex-CM, Dr Jagannath Mishra, in connection with a case in the Rs 950 crore animal husbandry scam. Arrest warrants have also been issued against 110 other accused in the case. The arrest is likely to take place tomorrow. With this comes down the curtains on the suspense over the RJD crisis that was awaiting the jail-going of Laloo Prasad Yadav.
At Patna, the 1 Anne Marg official residence of the Chief Minister, wore a deserted look as the news of his arrest was flashed. Some close advisers were seen flocking in late in the day and Laloo Yadav himself was not available to the media for comments. He is reported to be
closeted with his lawyers and close confidants to plan his next move.
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Chief Minister, Mr Babu Lal Marandi, told scribes at the Ranchi airport that Laloo Yadav would be accorded treatment like an ordinary prisoner but would be given all the facilities provided in the jail manual.
The case pertains to fake withdrawals from Doranda treasury in Ranchi. The Bihar Governor, Mr V. C. Pande, had granted permission to the CBI to go ahead with the prosecution of Laloo Prasad Yadav and another former CM, Dr Jagannath Mishra, along with two former Animal Husbandry Ministers and four IAS officers in connection with the RC-47A/96 case of the infamous Rs 950 crore fodder scam case on March 29. The case involves maximum amount of fake money withdrawal in one single case. His Jharkhand counterpart gave his nod on April 3.
The CBI had made about 166 top politicians and bureaucrats as accused that includes the two former CMs, Laloo Yadav and Dr Jagannath Mishra, two former ministers and five senior IAS officers. Eight of the accused are now dead.
Meanwhile, the CBI Joint Director and incharge of the fodder scam case, Mr U.N. Biswas, told journalists here at Ranchi that the CBI had moved the Supreme Court over the Patna High Court judgement on the transfer of the cases to Jharkhand and after the verdict, the way for further action in the case would be cleared.
Meanwhile, according to a UNI report, the designated CBI court here today asked the Director-General of Police of Bihar for executive, latest by May 21, of the non-bailable arrest warrant against Mr Yadav and Dr Mishra and former Bihar Minister Chandradev Prasad Verma.
