SC notice to Lalu Yadav on plea challenging bail in fodder scam case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court issued notice to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday on a plea challenging the bail granted by the Jharkhand High Court in one of the fodder-scam cases.
A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, sought response from Yadav on the plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The CBI has challenged the July 12, 2019 order passed by the high court at Ranchi, saying it had "erroneously" suspended the sentence awarded by the trial court and released the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief on bail in one of the fodder-scam cases.
The high court had granted Yadav bail in the case of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar treasury on the ground that he had served half of his prison term of three-and-a-half years.
Yadav was convicted in four fodder scam cases pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of money from Deoghar, Dumka and Chaibasa treasuries in Jharkhand. He was convicted in two cases for fraudulent withdrawals from the Chaibasa Treasury.
Besides the Deoghar Treasury case, he has secured bail in one of the Chaibasa cases.
The RJD chief is also facing a fifth fodder scam case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of money from Doranda Treasury. Yadav has been in a prison here since December 2017.
The CBI in its plea said that in so far as Lalu's medical condition is concerned, it is only an trick to mislead the court as the "respondent who claimed to be so unwell that he could not even remain in jail but was required to be hospitalised, suddenly claimed to be fully fit physically and sought bail on the ground that being a Founder and President of Rashtriya Janata Dal, a political party, his release is required to guide the party and carry out all essential responsibilities as a President of the party in 2019 general election to the Lok Sabha".
"Thus, it was the case of the petitioner that the respondent has been awarded a total sentence of 31 years i.e. 372 months in four cases keeping in view the mandate of Section 31 and 427 of CrPC. In the present case, he has been awarded a sentence of 7 years... i.e. cumulatively 84 months out of which he has undergone only 31 months approx. i.e. 11 months approximately before the conviction and 3 months after the conviction in jail and for the remaining period of 17 months, he remained in hospital on medical grounds," the agency said.
The CBI said that that Lalu's case is completely distinct and different from the cases of other co-convicts as he was the "kingpin", the main conspirator and benefactor who devised and executed the fodder scam cases by abusing his official position and by dishonestly and fraudulently misappropriating the government money by withdrawing huge amounts in excess of actual allotments from District Treasury, Deoghar on the basis of forged allotment and sub-allotment letters.
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Mangaluru man creates India’s first beeswax chessboard, enters record book
Mangaluru: A unique chessboard made entirely from beeswax has earned Prajwal M, a beekeeper from Kinnigoli near Mangaluru, a place in the India Book of Records.
According to a report published by The Times of India on Wednesday, the handmade beeswax chessboard was showcased at a state-level agricultural exhibition held at the University of Agricultural Sciences (GKVK), Bengaluru, last month. The exhibit attracted widespread attention for its creativity and eco-friendly design.
"The beeswax chessboard measuring 20cm by 26cm works like any other chessboard. The only condition is that it should not be exposed to heat," as a full-time beekeeper and founder of Coastal Honey Bee Farm, I have been experimenting with various value-added products from beeswax and honey," TOI quoted Prajwal as saying.
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Prajwal, who runs the Coastal Honey Bee Farm reportedly said, he has been experimenting with value-added products made from honey and beeswax. An MBA graduate, Prajwal took up beekeeping during Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the idea for the chessboard came after he won a state-level award in October, following which he was invited to display an innovative product at the GKVK exhibition.
Initially, I thought of creating a statue, but I realised it would not be possible to complete it within four days. That is when the idea of making a chessboard struck me. Later, I was told that this is the first chessboard of its kind in India, he said.
As per the report, a native of Talipadi village in Dakshina Kannada district, Prajwal is the son of Sunita and Madhava Shettigar. Apart from the chessboard, he has developed over 25 value-added products, including skincare items, kajal, dry fruit honey and other honey-based products. He is also involved in training programmes for aspiring beekeepers and conducts awareness sessions for schoolchildren.
In recognition of his efforts, Prajwal was conferred the state-level Young Beekeeper Award earlier this year. He hopes to commercially introduce the chessboard soon.
