New Delhi, November 29
Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav today filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking bail in a fodder scam case in which the Ranchi court had sent him into judicial custody after rejecting his bail plea.

The petition filed through advocate B.B. Singh stated that Mr Yadav had been granted bail in three fodder scam cases pending at a Patna court.

The petitioner said though the allegations in the fodder scam case pending before the Ranchi court were similar to those pending at Patna, the trial court in Jharkhand chose to reject his bail.

The Supreme Court had on November 5 directed Mr Yadav to surrender before the designated CBI Judge at Ranchi after vacating the stays on arrest warrants pending against him and others.

Meanwhile, the Centre today gave an assurance to the Opposition in the Lok Sabha that it would take up the issue of the safety and the security of former Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, who is in a Ranchi jail in a fodder scam case with the Jharkhand Government.

The assurance came from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan who responded to concerns over Mr Yadav’s safety and security expressed by former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar (SJP), Deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Shivraj Patil, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and others during the zero hour in the Lok Sabha.

Agreeing with the members that Mr Yadav, who has been the Chief Minister of Bihar and a Lok Sabha MP besides being the RJD President, Mr Mahajan said he would convey their feelings to the Home Minister so that it could be taken up with the Jharkhand Government.

Raising the issue during the zero hour, RJD MP Kanti Singh said Mr Yadav’s life was in danger as the security given to him had been withdrawn. Another RJD member Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said there was a conspiracy to murder Mr Yadav.

Mr Chandrashekhar said the Bihar Chief Minister, Ms Rabri Devi, wife of Mr Yadav, talked to him on phone and complained that the Centre was working in the spirit of enmity. The Centre should take up the matter with the state government, the former Prime Minister urged.