Pravas Kumar Singh
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October 22, 2014
In February 2012, Lalu Prasad appeared in the court of special CBI Judge Pravas Kumar Singh to respond to charges in one of the cases clubbed under the fodder scam. The question-and-answer session went on for two hours with Lalu pleading innocence and even insisting at one point that the judge should punish the CBI instead. The former Bihar chief minister reminded the judge that he was once his junior in Patna Law College, a quip that Singh took with the requisite humour.
The fodder scam revolves around a series of fraudulent transactions totalling about Rs 950 crore. The case being heard by Singh involved fraudulent withdrawals from the Chaibasa district treasury. At least 54 of the 61 cases were transferred to Jharkhand after it was carved out of Bihar in 2000. Lalu was accused in five of those. Singh took over hearing of the case in 2011 and over the next two years took statements of the accused and finished examination of defence witnesses. By August 2013, his speed in disposing of the case had Lalu and his defence team worried.
During final arguments, the judge took the unusual step of asking the defence to submit all written arguments by July 1 and declared he would pronounce the verdict in the case by July 15. Lalu tried one last trick. He petitioned the court alleging the judge's sister was married to a cousin of P.K. Shahi, a minister in the Nitish Kumar government and Lalu's political rival, so he could not give a fair verdict. Though the petition was dismissed by the Jharkhand High Court, the Supreme Court initially stayed proceedings. In August 2013, however, the court dismissed it. "The criminal proceedings were heard by the same judge from November 2011... It is not clear how the appellant has such an apprehension at this stage," a bench headed by then Chief Justice P. Sathasivam said. The apex court said examination of witnesses had dragged on for over 13 years and encouraged Singh to pronounce the verdict as early as possible. On October 3, 2013, Singh sentenced Lalu to five years in jail and another former chief minister, Jagannath Mishra, to four years.
Singh joined the judicial service in 1986 and was promoted to district judge in 2011. He had also served as under secretary in the law department of the Bihar government.
He is now Principal Judge, Family Court, in Dhanbad district.
