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Defer hearing till poll is over: Laloo
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, January 14
Apprehensive of any adverse observations by the Supreme Court against Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav during the hearing of a petition seeking the cancellation of his bail in the fodder scam cases at the time of Assembly elections, his advocate has made a strong plea to the court for deferring it till the poll are over.

“I request to post the hearing sometime in March after the elections as any word said by the court may have adverse effect (on RJD’s poll prospects),” senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, appearing for the Railway Minister pleaded before a Bench of Mr Justice S. N. Variava and Mr Justice P. P. Naolekar.

Mr Ram Jethmalain made the plea yesterday during the hearing of a writ petition, filed last year by JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias “Lallan,” and BJP MP Sushil Modhi seeking the cancellation of Laloo’s bail alleging that after becoming the Union Minister, he had been interfering in the trial proceedings in fodder scam cases against him.

The court, however, said that election could not be a ground for seeking adjournment of a case and said it would be listed in the beginning of February on non-miscellaneous day of the court business. If he wanted the posting of the matter further than it should be mentioned before the Chief Justice, the Bench said. Mr Lallan and Mr Modi’s counsel Mukul Rohtagi opposed the plea of Mr Jethmalani, contending that a strange argument was being forwarded to seek adjournment.