Lalu Prasad. Telegraph picture

Patna, Sept. 6: RJD chief Lalu Prasad, former chief minister Jagannath Mishra and others today appeared before the special CBI judge in connection with the multi-crore fodder scam case.

Special CBI judge (AHD) Vimal Kumar Jain had on August 18 directed Prasad, Mishra and others to personally appear for hearing the petitions filed by them seeking to be exonerated from the charges levelled against them in the scam related to fraudulent withdrawal of lakhs from Bhagalpur Treasury when the RJD chief was the chief minister between 1990 and 1997.

All the 34 accused including former members of Parliament R.K. Rana, Jagdish Sharma, former state ministers Vidyasagar Nishad, Beck Julius and others appeared before the court.

During the brief hearing, Chittaranjan Sinha, counsel for Lalu Prasad, submitted that since the CBI has violated its jurisdiction in filing chargesheet on April 21, 2003 against Prasad so the case against the RJD boss did not stand at all and hence the matter should be dropped.

Sinha was arguing on the discharge petition filed by Prasad. The court has fixed September 14 as the next date of hearing.