The Hindu : National : Court declines to defer hearing PIL against Lalu

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Wednesday, Sep 14, 2005

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Court declines to defer hearing PIL against Lalu

Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to postpone the September 20 hearing of a public interest petition against the Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi seeking cancellation of the bail granted to them in the fodder scam and disproportionate assets cases.

Appearing for the Solicitor-General, G.E. Vahanvati, the Additional Solicitor-General, Gopal Subramaniam, submitted before a Bench headed by Justice S.N. Variava that the petition filed by Sushil Modi, BJP Member of Parliament and Rajiv Ranjan Singh (JD-U) MP was slated for hearing on September 20. He said since a Constitution Bench was to hear the Bihar dissolution case on that day, he requested that the hearing might be postponed to October 4.

Justice Variava, however, told the ASG that it was not possible to change the date of hearing from September 20 since the Chief Justice had constituted the Special Bench. Justice Variava asked the Government to make alternative arrangements.

The petitioners had alleged that Mr. Lalu Prasad was interfering in the trial in the fodder scam cases. They said the Income Tax violation cases against Mr. Lalu Prasad and Ms. Rabri Devi were disposed of in two weeks and no appeal was filed against this order.

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