In an unusual request, Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav today sought permission of the Supreme Court to “communicate” with it “in confidence” about his apprehensions on the composition of a Patna High Court bench constituted to hear his petition challenging sanction for his prosecution in a disproportionate assets case.The apex court, while asking the High Court to constitute a bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam, had said the name of the other judge in the bench would be added later on.In the ordersheet, Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad was named as the second judge of the bench. The bench was asked to dispose of Prasad’s petition challenging his prosecution in the case within 30 days.The court had passed this order in a petition filed by JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lallan’ and BJP MP Sushil Modi seeking cancellation of Laloo’s bail in fodder scam cases. Laloo, in his application, made it clear that he had no objection to Justice Alam being part of the bench. The prayer clause of the application read “if Prasad’s wishes and apprehensions in the matter have any relevance, he is prepared to communicate them in confidence or consideration in chambers and not in open court.”Meanwhile, expressing reservation against a SC order directing Patna HC to expeditiously dispose a matter of disproportionate assets, Laloo today filed an application in the apex court seeking modification of the order.
