Ranchi, Oct. 18: Jharkhand High Court today sought records of fodder case RC20A/96 from the lower court that convicted former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for five years.

Justice R.R. Prasad, who was hearing a memo of appeal filed yesterday by Lalu challenging his conviction and sentencing, said the high court would hear the RJD leader's bail petition only after receiving the details from the CBI special court of P.K. Singh.

Lalu’s advocate Anil Kumar Sinha, while pressing for bail for his client once the sentence handed to him was suspended, opened his arguments with the claim that the veteran politician had been framed by his rivals. Sinha said the only allegation against Lalu was that he was party to a criminal conspiracy that led to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury when he was Bihar’s chief minister in the 1990s.

Then deputy commissioner of West Singhbhum Amit Khare, who first unearthed the scam and was also examined as a witness in the case, had deposed that no one, except animal husbandry department officials and suppliers, knew about the fake withdrawals, Sinha said. This proved that Lalu was also in the dark.

Thus, the advocate said, the former Bihar chief minister's involvement in the scam could not be said to be true, as there was no occasion for him to know about the anomalies. Besides, the withdrawals were in excess and not illegal, Sinha contended. However, Justice R.R. Prasad did not admit Sinha’s pleas at this stage, observing that bail would be considered only after the case records were received from the special CBI court.

As many as 45 people, including another former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, were convicted in the fodder case by the special CBI judge in Ranchi on September 30.