Fighting blood cancer, ex-CM Jagannath Mishra gets provisional bail in fodder scam

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday granted provisional bail to former Bihar chief  minister Jagannath Mishra, who is serving a jail sentence in Ranchi after being convicted in the fodder scam.

The bail was granted after Mishra's lawyers pleaded before the high  court that the former chief minister was suffering from blood cancer and undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.

"His chemotherapy was due on February 15. But he is in Ranchi serving a jail sentence. Kindly grant him provisional bail so that he could visit the hospital in Haryana for chemotherapy," his lawyers pleaded.

Mishra, who was earlier acquitted in Deogarh treasury case in December last year, was, however, convicted in January 2018 in another fodder scam related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 33.67 crore from Chaibasa treasury in the year 1992-93.

Mishra was, however, not present in the court when he was convicted last month as his wife Veena Mishra passed away during that period in New Delhi.

After the funeral and dashkarma, Mishra surrendered in the court of Justice SS Prasad, who eventually sent him to Ranchi's Birsa Munda Jail.

However, within a couple of days, Mishra's health deteriorated on the jail premises.

He was shifted to the cardiology department of Jharkhand's best hospital -   Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) - in Ranchi.

After going through his medical reports and hearing Mishra's lawyer's plea, the high  court on Friday granted him provisional bail.