Lalu Prasad and (top) Jagannath Mishra

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday granted provisional bail to former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, convicted in a fodder scam case, reports PTI.

It also gave time to the CBI for arguments against a plea for similar relief moved by RJD chief Lalu Prasad serving a five-year sentence in the case.

Besides Mishra, who was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, the bench of Justice R.R. Prasad also granted bail to former legislator R.K. Rana, also convicted in the case, on medical grounds.

Mishra was allowed to stay out till January 8 for medical treatment and asked to surrender the next day.

Mishra had been taken to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences when he fell ill following his conviction on September 30. A medical board later referred him to AIIMS.

Rana had been sentenced to five years in prison. “Defence arguments on Lalu Prasad’s bail petition have been concluded.

The bench fixed October 30 for the CBI to argue,” Prabhat Kumar, one of the counsels of Prasad said.

The bench adjourned the case to October 30 after hearing a bunch of petitions filed by fodder convicts, including Prasad.

Lalu, Mishra and 43 others had on September 30 been convicted by the special CBI court of Pravas Kumar Singh in a fodder scam case pertaining to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from the Chaibasa Treasury.