Patna court summons Lalu in defamation case

A court here today summoned Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad, who is serving sentences in three fodder scam cases in a Ranchi jail and is out on a six-week provisional bail on medical grounds, in connection with a defamation case.

Sub-judge Om Prakash passed the order, taking cognizance of a complaint lodged by a member of the Bihar Disaster Management Authority, Udaykant Mishra, who has accused the RJD chief of making disparaging remarks about his friendship with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The court posted the matter for further hearing next month.

The RJD supremo had allegedly made the defamatory remarks at a rally in Bhagalpur in September last year. He had also attacked the Nitish Kumar government over the multi-crore-rupee Srijan scam in Bhagalpur.

Prasad had allegedly referred to the close friendship between Mishra and Kumar and claimed that the chief minister stayed at the former's house and not at the circuit house, whenever he toured Bhagalpur.

The Srijan scam, which involves fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasury by an NGO, is being investigated by the CBI.