06-21-2005, 04:27 PM
HC dismisses Lalu-Rabri petition in DA case
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Patna High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi challenging moves to prosecute them for alleged misappropriation of public funds.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi had challenged their prosecution in a disproportionate assets case, an offshoot of the multimillion-rupee fodder scam.
The court unanimously dismissed the petition, court officials said. The court had completed the hearing May 18 but had reserved its order.
Last month Nagendra Rai, the acting chief justice of the Patna High Court, constituted a three-member bench to hear the case - an offshoot of the Rs 9.5 billion fodder scam in which Lalu Prasad has been accused of embezzling Government money meant to purchase animal fodder for poor farmers.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the high court to constitute a bench comprising judges Aftab Alam and Chandramauli Kumar Prasad for hearing the petition of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi.
But Lalu Prasad had objected to it and Nagendra Rai passed an order contending it was the duty of the high court chief justice to constitute a bench for hearing the petition filed before it.
The Supreme Court then asked the Patna High Court to constitute the bench.
A special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) hearing the corruption case against Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi had been awaiting the high court's verdict to go ahead.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Patna High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi challenging moves to prosecute them for alleged misappropriation of public funds.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi had challenged their prosecution in a disproportionate assets case, an offshoot of the multimillion-rupee fodder scam.
The court unanimously dismissed the petition, court officials said. The court had completed the hearing May 18 but had reserved its order.
Last month Nagendra Rai, the acting chief justice of the Patna High Court, constituted a three-member bench to hear the case - an offshoot of the Rs 9.5 billion fodder scam in which Lalu Prasad has been accused of embezzling Government money meant to purchase animal fodder for poor farmers.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the high court to constitute a bench comprising judges Aftab Alam and Chandramauli Kumar Prasad for hearing the petition of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi.
But Lalu Prasad had objected to it and Nagendra Rai passed an order contending it was the duty of the high court chief justice to constitute a bench for hearing the petition filed before it.
The Supreme Court then asked the Patna High Court to constitute the bench.
A special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) hearing the corruption case against Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi had been awaiting the high court's verdict to go ahead.
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